Rector’s Reflections

April 26, 2026

Dear People of God, 

April is almost over. The flowers are slowly blooming, trees are budding, and spring bird migration is gaining steam. Our Easter season continues, and Easter speaks of new life and change. The most constant in life is change!

Our God is always loving, forgiving, and present, though much of what surrounds us keeps changing. New beginnings, change, and dreams are exciting, and the Lord Jesus is always at our side.

Up, a 2009 delightful movie from the animation wizards at PIXAR, begins with one of the most touching and poetic four minutes ever seen in the movies – all told without a word of dialogue.

A quiet, shy kid named Carl meets Ellie, a real spitfire. They both dream of being explorers, of going on great adventures to faraway places. Ellie and Carl grow up, fall in love, marry, and transform a ramshackle house into their dream home. They save their loose change in a glass jug for their dream trip – but real life gets in the way: work, home, car repairs, and medical bills. But they are happy. And in an instant, they are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. Soon after, Ellie succumbs to cancer, leaving the grieving Carl lost and alone.

After Ellie is gone, Carl finds “My Adventure Book,” the scrapbook Ellie kept since they were children. The first pages are filled with the silly, funny treasures and memories of childhood. Then there is a page Ellie has labeled “Stuff I’m Going to Do.” On these pages, Ellie planned to chronicle her dream trip with Carl. Carl is stung with remorse that he never kept his promise to Ellie to take her on such a trip. But as Carl turns the page, he sees that Ellie has collected pictures of their life together – their wedding, working side by side on their house, the simple joys of going out for ice cream together. Under one of the pictures taken of the two of them together, Ellie has written: “Carl, thanks for the great adventure — Go and have a new one!  Love, Ellie.”

Carl realizes that he and Ellie have indeed shared a great adventure: they dreamed together, faced and survived crushing disappointments together, and grew happily old together.

Love and friendship are life’s great adventure. 

Our Easter season is also a celebration of love and friendship with the Lord Jesus. Another great adventure of life is to look into the face of a loved one and see the face of God. This also occurs when we reach out to help others.  The whole thrust of the Jesus story is living as a servant—helping others in the name of the Lord. 

Easter Season is a joyous celebration of life so abundant we call it eternal. Easter is lived through love, friendship, and life-giving relationships – life’s great adventure. Easter joy! 

It is important that we gather as a Faith Community weekly around the Table of the Lord. Yet, when someone is absent, the community suffers. We are nourished by the Word of God, the Bread of Life, and the Cup of Salvation.

In the movie Up, Carl and Ellie have found the deeper meaning of life. They discovered that true joy is not driven by “perishable” material things, but by the “non-perishable’ values of God. They have discovered what hopefully all of us have discovered – that the “fast food” that is out there doesn’t satisfy. Rather, our hearts are thirsting for deeper meaning, and ultimately for Jesus Christ, the “food that endures forever.”

The Lord Jesus promises us strength, hope, Eucharist, and forgiveness on the journey, and the Lord promises us eternal life. If you get a better offer — take it!   

Easter Season blessings,  

Fr. Greg