Summary of Service
On the Third Sunday of Easter, Bostwick Lake UCC welcomed guest preacher Rev. Katherine Lee Baker, who brought a message of resurrection hope from the shoreline of scripture and life. The service invited worshippers to remember that Easter is not a day but a season—one where the risen Christ continues to show up in ordinary places, transforming grief, confusion, and routine into sacred encounter.
Special Announcements
A celebration of life for Patrick Creager will be held on May 17 (visitation at 10:30 AM, service at 11:30 AM).
The spiritual life theme for May is Rebirth; members were invited to share reflections on yellow stars available in the narthex.
Rally Sunday will return this fall as a “Fall Spectacular”; volunteers are encouraged to join the planning task force (contact Kathy Majeski or Jenni Kotarski).
No Coffee Hour will be held next Sunday due to Mother’s Day.
Children’s Message
Children participated in a fun animal sound guessing game that led into the story of Noah’s Ark—a reminder of God’s promises, protection, and the covenant of the rainbow.
Sermon Highlights
Rev. Baker’s sermon, “May These Shores Be With Us,” reflected on the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus by the sea and on Saul’s dramatic transformation in Acts. She reminded the congregation that:
Jesus meets us not just in glory, but in familiar routines, exhaustion, and doubt.
The shoreline is both a place of physical grounding and spiritual renewal—a metaphor for the places where God finds and feeds us.
Just as Jesus called Peter again—gently and without shame—God calls us anew, replenishes our spirit, and sends us to feed others.
Saul’s conversion shows how even harmful zeal can be transformed into healing mission when God interrupts us with grace.
The sermon closed with a poetic reflection on the shoreline as a sacred space, inspired by Marie Post’s poem “Galilee Outing”—a reminder that God still beckons us from the shore with love and sustenance.
Prayer & Communion
The congregation lifted up names in prayer, from individuals facing illness to families in grief, affirming God’s presence and healing across all circumstances. The prayers tied together themes of restoration, rebirth, and calling.
Closing Benediction
Rev. Baker concluded by affirming:
“Our God is a God of resurrection and new beginnings who meets us on the shorelines of our lives—in the ordinary, in our fatigue, and in our fears—and still calls to us: ‘Follow me.’”
