Hi Praying Friends,

Thanks again for your ongoing prayers! Elissa is feeling better after her bout with COVID and the weakness that was connected to that.

This week we are opening our next exhibit on Thursday. If you want to see some sneak-peak pictures, check out our @envisionberlin Instagram site. Please pray for our interactions with the artist and guests.

As we look ahead to this meaningful weekend, I am mulling over (again) the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Our text last week in church focused on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16) and the sacrifices connected to atonement.

I remember the awkwardness of service planning in the US - and the desire to mention the resurrection during the Good Friday service, because I was uncomfortable with sitting in the sadness of death. Sometimes I would overcome this by being sure to frame the death of Jesus in the context of victory. I am not sure this is wrong, but as I look at it now, it feels kind of shallow.

Perhaps my geographical closeness to the war in Ukraine and some of my current reading are leaving me sitting in the awfulness of death. Certainly, for Christians in Ukraine, the resurrection of Jesus means they do not have to grieve as those who have no hope. Yet, the death of so many also has a significant weight.

Maybe you have lost someone this past year, and their death carries significant weight. Does knowing that the gospel does not ignore death, but in fact is very heavily grounded in not only death but also in the uncomfortable in-between of burial and waiting help? Certainly, looking backward, we can overlook the pain of loss the disciples experienced because we see these things through the lens of resurrection. But the disciples did not have that lens yet. They grieved and doubted. If that is where you are this Easter season, there is room for that.

Some prayer requests for us:

1. Pray for us as we join other ministries for their Good Friday and Easter services. Our house church is joining The Limelight Collective for their Easter celebration. We are responsible for organizing the brunch and helping lead some music.
2. Pray for our exhibit opening!
3. Pray for health. It would be great if we could enjoy a nice long stretch free from sickness.
4. Pray for our team as we recover from one short-term team and get ready for the next one in May.

Thanks for praying!

Mike