Well, a sure sign of spring is the return of our azaleas! A favorite plant of mine since I moved to Virginia in 1976. Just about every house or parsonage we lived in has had azaleas. In Fairfax the front of the parsonage was behind a wall of azaleas easily six feet high. When in full bloom, the pink glow would transform our front living room to a brilliant pink hue. My desire to become a naval officer is rooted in the Azalea Festival Airshow at Norfolk Naval Air Station in 1977. And of course we were overjoyed to find azaleas around our parsonage home here at Chestnut.

Spring is here! And indeed, the year has flown by thus far. Last week we celebrated Easter while still in March. So now April is here, Easter is behind us, and we ponder what's next? On Palm Sunday I talked about finish lines and starting lines. As we crossed the finish line of Easter, we crossed a starting line into the Season of Easter. Yes, like Christmas, Easter gets a whole season that will cross its finish line at Pentecost when we celebrate the birth of the Christian Church.

God's creation is always in motion, and so is the Christian year. So let's get back to April for a moment because there are big things happening. Like what? How about the start of Baseball Season? Or the eclipse? In the church we will celebrate the resurrected Jesus throughout our worship services. We will be making our plans for supporting Rise Against Hunger, begin our plans for Vacation Bible School, continue to feed the hungry, continue to pray mightily for our world in need, and avail ourselves to the promptings of the Spirit.

At the end of April, our denomination will at long last have a General Conference. The Conference will be held April 23-May 3, in Charlotte, NC. For the past eight years there has been much energy spent on the issues and the proposed outcomes regarding our denomination. In Virginia we lost about twenty percent of our Conference's churches to disaffiliations leading up to General Conference. Every Sunday I have made myself available if you have questions regarding General Conference, and as always the Conference website vaumc.org has all the data and discussion about proposals and possible changes.

What I can speak to is a commitment that my approach at our church will be the same after General Conference as it has been before. I will continue to preach from the Holy Bible, administer the Sacraments, order the life of the church, visit our church family, and serve our community. We will continue to focus on our family and how we can love and support each other through prayer while we continue to welcome any guest who comes into our presence through our invitation. Basically I believe Chestnut will continue to be Chestnut, and I truly believe that when we look back at this time, we will rejoice at the ministries we offered, the worship we will celebrated, and the lives made better because WE OFFERED THEM CHRIST and CHRIST ALONE.

So welcome to April! A whole month of resurrection celebrations! A month to live in the joy of being a disciple of Jesus who LIVES and LOVES! HE IS RISEN INDEED!