Did Bing Crosby sing "I'm dreaming of a white Easter"? Yes, we had a white Easter in Colorado. It started snowing Saturday afternoon and kept it up all night. It wasn't terribly cold. So, the roads weren't bad. But having a white Easter was a new experience for me. Of course, having a white Thanksgiving, a white Christmas, a white New Years, a white Valentines, a white Palm Sunday, and a white St. Patrick's Day were all new experiences for me as well.
The truth is, we have had lots of snowing days, but we haven't had any really bad storms. Even though it snowed Easter Sunday, today (Monday) it was in the mid-60's--downright Spring-like.
This also was my first Easter at Village Seven. Richard Hunt, our Worship Director, did a wonderful job of putting the service together. The orchestra rocked (can I say that? I just did). It was a beautiful service.
Easter made us think about our friends at UPC. Both Village Seven and UPC's Easter services are wonderful, but they are very different. UPC's Easter service is usually creative and energetic. Jonathan Noel pulls out all the stops. At Village Seven, the service is more majestic--a full choir and orchestra. Each are gloriously worshipful, but very different. I love that about the body of Christ. Both Richard Hunt at Village Seven and Jonathan Noel at UPC both are passionate about God's glory first and foremost. Music and the "performance" (bad word) aspects of music are a distant second to the goal of music -- worship. Yet, both do their jobs with excellence.
Speaking of UPC, I very excited that the Pastoral Search Committee is recommending Mike Osborne to be the next senior pastor. Mike was my Associate for a number of years. He was always very loyal, encouraging, and a faithful friend. Mike is a gifted preacher. Even more importantly, he understands the DNA and vision of UPC. UPC is a unique church that is well-suited to serve its community. Mike gets the mission and Mike can lead the church in being faithful to her mission.
My hope and prayer is that the people of UPC will love, support, and care for Mike just as they did for me for so many years. They were always patient with me, forgiving, and allowed me to grow. I trust that they will give Mike the same support and care.
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2 comments:
We are so excited and honored to have Mike as the candidate for UPC. What a blessing that you left us with such a capable and God fearing man. As much as we miss the Bates family it has been nice to know that we are in good hands with Mike here.
Jonathan did an amazing job on Sunday with the worship. It was so powerful and moving. I wish we could post that part on the website so you could hear it.
You should check out Mikes sermon. It was AWESOME!
When the choir began forming up, we should have warned you about your close proximity to the gathering wall of sound that has become one of my favorite parts of the V7 Easter Service. It was nice to see the look on your face when they finished; I'm sure I looked the same way last year.
I can assure you, based on my 2 years in Colorado Springs, it snows every Easter.
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