Have you heard the news? Jesus has risen from the dead. Mary Magdalene and another Mary went to the tomb. At the tomb, they found the stone that sealed the mouth of the tomb had been rolled away, and an angel was sitting on top of it. The angel told Mary and Mary Jesus had risen from the dead, just as Jesus said he would. The angel invited them to look at the empty tomb, then told them to go and tell the other disciples to go and meet him in Galilee, up north, back where Jesus' ministry and their discipleship began.

Do you remember any one particularly long night when it seemed as though the morning would never come? Nights in the hospital can seem especially long. It is difficult to sleep in the hospital. The need for care often interrupts and disturbs sleep with the sound of alarms, the prick of needles and hubbub in the halls or rooms next door. The pain and suffering, the symptoms of the illness itself slow the passing of the hours. The night seems to never end for both patient and for those keeping watch beside them or just outside in a waiting room. Then the morning comes. The night of watching and waiting ends. The new day begins.

Three events remembered on this night of Holy Week focus our attention on Christ and all Christ has done for us. These are also events that shape our life as disciples of Jesus.

In the office, we are making a couple of transitions. We have hired a new secretary, Kathleen Balenson (see the article on Kathy in the upcoming issue of Epistle), and we are testing a church management software application that we hope will strengthen our relationships and increase the quality of communication between us all. As we are transitioning to the new software, we are rediscovering something about the nature of this community and our relationships with and responsibilities to one another.