Barbara Comito, former marketing director
3 min read
Longing for Community
Every year, the holiday season seems to start earlier—decorations go up and purchases are made in preparation for Christmas long before December....
Ever since my husband and I started a family more than 30 years ago, Easter has been a big deal at our house: New dresses for the little girls, suspenders and crisp shorts for the little boys. Corsages or big bunches of daffodils. Coloring eggs and hiding them over and over…and over. See’s candy, Jelly Bellies, pastel M&Ms and Peeps in Easter baskets (or flowerpots painted with the kids’ names or big cereal bowls or sand buckets or hats…) A big Easter brunch of eggs and bacon, potatoes, blintzes, OJ and coffee after sunrise service. It’s not that we didn’t know the day was about Jesus rising from the dead. We definitely did, and we wanted to celebrate the Good News in a big way.
This Easter is different.
Even at UGM, this Easter will be different. We can’t invite the community in for a Sunrise Service by the river like we have for as long as we can remember. Greg won’t be standing on the stage in his black hat, singing hymns in his gravelly voice as the sun reflects off the water and begins to warm the chill air. Steve can’t come in to make the big, sticky cinnamon rolls.
I love these things. They reflect all the things I love in life – family, friends, food, community – but they are not the best thing.
The best thing starts today with Good Friday, with seeing the lengths to which God was willing to go to have a relationship with us.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” Romans 8:32
The best thing is God’s love.
When all the other good things start to fall away, I am prone to doubt God’s love. If he really loved me, he would __________. Fill in the blank.
Good Friday, followed by Easter, is one of the ways that God binds my heart to his.
God's love makes change possible for us all.
5 min read
Holiday Ways To Give
The holiday season is a time for giving, and what better way to spread some cheer than by helping those in need? Homeless and low-income individuals...
5 min read
Gratitude in Recovery
One of UGM’s core values is Thankfulness, and this month we reflect on the pursuit of gratitude in our day-to-day lives and in the work of healing...
Easter Series: Where is the Sweetness of the Resurrection?
Genevieve Gromlich, former Content and Communications Manager : March 11, 2021
Easter. Just the word evokes thoughts of bird song and budding tree branches, spring dresses, pastel button downs and family photo opportunities in...
Easter Series: Sin Ruins Everything
Barbara Comito, former marketing director : March 25, 2021
Sin. Talk about a conversation stopper. I’m not sure anyone is anxious to talk about sin, even Christians, but in society at large, it’s almost...
Easter Devotional: Fixing our eyes on Jesus
Steve Ellisen, Director of Development : April 6, 2023
A favorite athletic event for me has been the relay race. The athletes not only run their leg of the race but also receive, carry, and then hand off...