Celebrate

​Is it OK to celebrate a little bit and be happy?
 
Butter Cups are blooming in my front yard. Trees are beginning to bud. Days are getting a bit warmer, and Spring Baseball is underway in Florida. I want to be happy, hold up my hands and shout – “YEA!!!”
 
Easter is on its way. Only 27 days to go before we get to say to each other:
​

“HE IS RISEN — HE IS RISEN INDEED!”

 
We are tentatively planning our Good Friday Service for Friday, April 2nd at 6:30 pm.
 
Saturday, April 3rd, will be our Children’s Easter Egg Hunt at Flower Branch Park from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm.
 
Then on Easter Sunday, April 4th, we will greet the new day at 7:30 am in Sunrise Service. Sunday School will gather at 9:45 with worship to begin at 10:45.
 
I can’t wait to celebrate resurrection together with all my beloved church family.
 
While we all are past ready for Spring to arrive and Easter Sunday to lift us from the darkness of winter and COVID’s heavy handed grip, we must still recognize that we are not yet completely free from its danger. Just this past week, 5 cases have emerged within our church family. My oldest son tested positive on Wednesday of this week. The threat is still real, and the danger continues to be with us.
 
We are continuing to maintain our diligent safety measures. We will practice our socially distanced set up each Sunday. Please continue to be faithful with your masks. Our church welcomes guests and members who have not yet ventured out to attend in-person services. Our cleaning crew is on the job sanitizing every chair, mopping floors, and wiping down every hard service with anti-covid cleaner. Our work includes doorknobs, crash bars, bathroom fixtures, microphones, and music stands. Our great volunteers are going the second and third mile every week to make the facilities as safe as possible. I am grateful for the sacrifices and cooperation from our people who are committed to keeping our services open and at the same time responsibly safe for everyone.
 
I just want to say it out loud,
​

“GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH HAS BEEN

A RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN CHURCH”

during our yearlong fight against this COVID menace. Our people have not let down their guard. We have limited our ministries and closed our in-person services when necessary. We have prayed for each other, prepared food for one another when sickness infected our families, called, and contacted those who could not attend, and basically maintained a unified sweet and compassionate spirit all along.
 
I want to CELEBRATE Grace Baptist Church. We have been good and faithful patriots this year. We have been faithful to our calling to serve the Lord in both good times and the hard times. So, lift-up your hands and join me this morning to celebrate by saying:
​

“YEA, JESUS!!!”