4/13/2012
Brothers and Sisters,
It is hard to believe that it is spring of 2012. I must confess that I love the flowers blooming and the birds singing. This truly is my favorite time of the year, even though it took me a few weeks this year to adjust my head to daylight savings time. This past weekend was Easter and I pray yours was blessed, happy and holy. I had a wrestling match in the afternoon with my 3 grandchildren (2 boys & 1 girl, all under 5) and it was like old times when my children were young. I must admit that I don’t have the energy I once did and it is a lifesaving blessing to give them back to their parents at the end of the day. Five year old Jackson flew a kite for the first time in his life. I will never forget his bright eyes and his heart filled with wonder and possibilities as if spring was blooming in his soul. When did I lose that absolute sense of wonder I thought?
This year I was asked to give the sermon during the Colorado Knights Templar Easter Sunrise Service and I jokingly said that if God wanted me to see the sunrise, He would have scheduled it later in the day. The truth is I love to watch the sunrise. I told the large crowd gathered there, that I loved being a Mason and part of the Masonic Family and then I asked them “Why have you come?â€
I believe we must know why we have come; why we belong to the Masonic Family. Because if we don’t know why, then people can throw us off our game and we will miss God’s best for us and our family. And then I said “…today I know why I have come!
I have come because I have a vision of God filling our lodges with men who understand what being a Mason is really all about;
I have come that we might take back our faith from the modern day Pharisees who tell us that being a Mason is a bad thing;
I have come because I believe that we are held by the strong grip of the “Lion of the Tribe of Judah†and that if we will turn our hearts toward Him that He will bring about a resurrection from the dead that will talked about forever;
I have come because we have a Wonderful Heritage to pass on;
I tell you I have a vision of a bright future:
A vision of the Masonic family that is thriving not just surviving;
A vision of Masonic youth who know that they are not in this alone and that they can turn to us for help and guidance when their world is difficult;
A vision of Masonic prosperity that cares for the widows, orphans and distressed brothers for generations to come.
Martin Luther King is not the only one who has a dream and so I dream of a better day and I know why I have come!â€
May we all renew our faith in God and with a sense of wonder put our dreams in work clothes and go out and serve a hurting world.
If you are ever in Denver you are invited to the Robert Russell Eastern Star Masonic Chapel each Sunday evening at 6:30 PM to enjoy the music, worship, fellowship and refreshments.
I pray God will bless you and yours,
Rev. Steve Schroeder PM
303-809-7789 / cofirst@msn.com
PS: Please forward this to those on your lists and give a copy to your spouse and if you would like, please feel free to use any part of the Masonic Minutes for your Trestle Boards, News Letters, and/or Publications.
Brothers and Sisters,
It is hard to believe that it is spring of 2012. I must confess that I love the flowers blooming and the birds singing. This truly is my favorite time of the year, even though it took me a few weeks this year to adjust my head to daylight savings time. This past weekend was Easter and I pray yours was blessed, happy and holy. I had a wrestling match in the afternoon with my 3 grandchildren (2 boys & 1 girl, all under 5) and it was like old times when my children were young. I must admit that I don’t have the energy I once did and it is a lifesaving blessing to give them back to their parents at the end of the day. Five year old Jackson flew a kite for the first time in his life. I will never forget his bright eyes and his heart filled with wonder and possibilities as if spring was blooming in his soul. When did I lose that absolute sense of wonder I thought?
This year I was asked to give the sermon during the Colorado Knights Templar Easter Sunrise Service and I jokingly said that if God wanted me to see the sunrise, He would have scheduled it later in the day. The truth is I love to watch the sunrise. I told the large crowd gathered there, that I loved being a Mason and part of the Masonic Family and then I asked them “Why have you come?â€
I believe we must know why we have come; why we belong to the Masonic Family. Because if we don’t know why, then people can throw us off our game and we will miss God’s best for us and our family. And then I said “…today I know why I have come!
I have come because I have a vision of God filling our lodges with men who understand what being a Mason is really all about;
I have come that we might take back our faith from the modern day Pharisees who tell us that being a Mason is a bad thing;
I have come because I believe that we are held by the strong grip of the “Lion of the Tribe of Judah†and that if we will turn our hearts toward Him that He will bring about a resurrection from the dead that will talked about forever;
I have come because we have a Wonderful Heritage to pass on;
I tell you I have a vision of a bright future:
A vision of the Masonic family that is thriving not just surviving;
A vision of Masonic youth who know that they are not in this alone and that they can turn to us for help and guidance when their world is difficult;
A vision of Masonic prosperity that cares for the widows, orphans and distressed brothers for generations to come.
Martin Luther King is not the only one who has a dream and so I dream of a better day and I know why I have come!â€
May we all renew our faith in God and with a sense of wonder put our dreams in work clothes and go out and serve a hurting world.
If you are ever in Denver you are invited to the Robert Russell Eastern Star Masonic Chapel each Sunday evening at 6:30 PM to enjoy the music, worship, fellowship and refreshments.
I pray God will bless you and yours,
Rev. Steve Schroeder PM
303-809-7789 / cofirst@msn.com
PS: Please forward this to those on your lists and give a copy to your spouse and if you would like, please feel free to use any part of the Masonic Minutes for your Trestle Boards, News Letters, and/or Publications.