April 2026
It is so good to be back at Wyoming UMC! Do not get me wrong – I loved every second of my time off and the ability to throw myself into a passion project while also catching up on rest – but now that I’m spiritually and physically renewed it is good to be back with my people, worshiping and learning together. We are seeing renewal all around us with the coming of spring. The cold and darkness of winter and death give way to the warmth, light, new life, and the promise of summer. The snow and ice melts and before long green will begin to sprout all around us. It’s little wonder that we see in the turning of the seasons a kind of analogue to dying and rising Christ, to the new life that emerges from the darkness of death. We see the renewal out of our windows and our front doors, and we can be reminded that we are being renewed, ever and always by the grace of our wondrous Creator.
I know for many of us it has been a hard winter. Even beyond the normal struggles that life throws at us – the challenges of our jobs and our family lives, struggles with illness and mental health – we have had more than our fair share of political instability with the violence in our state and in our country and with the dawning of yet another war. It is okay to see and feel all of this and say, “I’m not okay.” Yet as we face this world, I encourage you to look at the dawning spring around you and to remember the glory of Easter Sunday. We worship an awesome God who is capable of taking the worst that humanity has to offer and making something life-giving out of it. A God who can create life out of death. A God who can take the cross and fashion salvation for all. May this faith be a ground for hope and courage in the face of all the struggles and tribulations in this life, and may we be renewed and stored by this hope.
– Pastor Jeff