April 1 - “But it was Easter”

Easter Sunday began as a cloudy day. Of course it was also 4:30 in the morning, since it was … well, dark. But it was Easter. And that meant a lot of things were about to happen. 

Chris was up. Cailyn followed soon thereafter. Sam told us she had just stayed up all night. But we all piled into the car by around 5:30 and headed out. 

The sunrise service on the beach was once again amazing. Check out this quick list of what all appeared. 

A drone. That was a new one. Hope they got some great pics. 

A few pelicans and the requisite horde of seagulls watching over us. 

Dogs. It has really become a thing to bring your dog along, from pit bulls and labradoodles to those little tiny little critters that fit in your pocket. 

Golf carts by the dozen. We even set aside an entire lane near the water for all the golf carts. And because of golf carts, Sam was able to make her way down to the beach for the first time in a long time. Thanks, Sandy and Ron. 

A ton of people, from teenagers and toddlers to young couples and retirees. Estimates ranged from 500-700 in attendance. People who have been to the service 20 times and others who were first-timers. 

The Jamaica Beach police chief and at least 3 other officers were there helping with traffic. I also  saw some representatives of the Jamaica Beach Volunteer Fire Department. Thank you to them for the use of their folding chairs. Oh, and the mayor even came up to me and chatted for a while before introducing herself. Calvary Church from in town (Galveston) also partnered with us, and sent their prayer team, which did an amazing job. 

The climax of the event were the baptisms. We knew about eight of them ahead of time. But once we were in the water, another came. And another. And another. And … before we finished there had been no less than 20. Of all ages. From a little boy about six to an elderly lady who looked older than me. Pretty mind-boggling. 

One little boy stepped up for his turn. Kel asked his usual pre-baptism question, “Why are you here?” Kid said, “Jesus is Lord.”  Well yep. That’ll do it. 

After the service, we opened up the retreat center and fed breakfast to about 250 of the folks who had been at the beach. 

And then … 

We had another service at 9:30 for those who were not exactly super-early risers. To our surprise, there were 100 brave souls who made it then. 

And then … 

We had a third service at 11:00. This one was for those folks who were by no means getting up before the sun to go sit on the beach. Well, those folks as well as some others who hadn’t heard about the early service. Just 49 people there. Didn’t seem like many, but that’s actually not bad at all. 

And the pervasive theme of the entire morning? Jesus is alive and well and calling us to follow him. Or to put it another way …

“Christ is risen! 

He is risen indeed!”

Matthew‬ ‭28‬:‭6‬ says, He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.

Father, thank you for all the folks who were baptized. Bless them and walk with them. Amen.