What is good about “Good Friday?” That is when we remember Jesus’ death on the cross. Many schools and businesses close on Good Friday. It tends to be a somber day for Christians when we examine our lives considering the sacrifice of One for all. (Romans 6:10) The reason it is good is that we are on the other side of it, and Jesus’s death was not final: He Arose! When Jesus proved to be the Savior through God’s resurrection, death had no more finality. Though he suffered and died, he did so once and for all, undoing the death sentence of Adam and Eve when they were thrown out of the very presence of God. When Jesus breathed his last saying “It is finished,” he was not talking about his earthly life, but about the defeat of sin’s penalty. He overcame divine punishment of humanity in Genesis 2:16 “in the day you eat of the forbidden fruit, you shall die.” Replacing it with “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who believes in me will never die.” (John 11:25-26)
Friends, enjoy Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday, but mostly, I pray you live in the power of that truth: Christ is risen and death is overcome forever.
With you, I am …
… IN CHRIST, Jeff McDowell
Calling All Pastors (and laity assigned to a church):
You are invited an In-Person clergy gathering / training on this district! Please consider which of these you will be attending. Registration information will come in a separate email to you. We will use health guidelines and keep the group numbers low.
A. New Beginnings in Elmira, 2:00 – 4:30 April 22
B. New Beginnings in Elmira, 6:00 - 8:30 April 22
C. Bath Centenary, 2:00 – 4:30 April 28
D. Bath Centenary, 6:00 – 8:30 April 28
E. Hornell UMC, 2:00 – 4:30 May 19
F. Hornell UMC, 6:00-8:30 May 19
Did You Know?
Parsonages serve the good of the church by enabling quicker turnaround for pastors who are moving. They are inspected each year with chair of trustees, chair of sprc, and pastor to identify repairs and maintenance needs. Guidelines for the use and upkeep of parsonages are listed in the
clergy Support Policies of the conference.
