Pan, beyond English definitions of “frying” and “derision”, the Greek root means “all”.

This week I received my first Covid vaccination. My brother called and said the event at Independence Center had trouble filling its spots. While I qualify in a roundabout way (I am the supervisor of the Chandler Preschool), the event would take anyone. So I signed up and made the drive. (I hope everyone will find a way to get vaccinated!)

Independence Center is where we shopped growing up. I believe it is the perfect mall design. It’s a huge triangle, with high ceilings and a food court at the center, it allows you to see the hundreds of shops from anywhere (helps keep me from getting lost, though I have lost my mom there!). Of course all malls are in decline, but the pandemic has hastened the process. As I walked toward the clinic there were lots of empty store fronts. Then I discovered the clinic was not near the Macy’s, it was the Macy’s. I can remember hiding from my mom in those round clothes racks… now the space is an open floor marked by “x”s for socially distanced lines leading to nurses.

This past year has left a mark on each of us. A few nights ago my parents visited. As I put Ezekiel to bed he asked, “Dad, when you are a Grandpa, will I still be able to touch you?” E’s Pappy, my dad, is high risk and has been super careful. The lack of hugs has left a mark on E. Without many memories before the pandemic, he wondered if Grandpas couldn’t hug… I squeezed him extra tight. And with vaccines rolling out, we are both looking forward to more hugs!

As we move into Palm Sunday and Easter, our world needs healings. In ALL areas of life. From economic, to physical and mental health, to education, to … but I don’t just want to go back to life before 2020. I want to become better. Rather than rebuild, I want resurrection. New life. God’s life.

So, as we look forward, join me in praying that God’s love will touch ALL areas of our life. And I am interested in what you think could be transformed at Chandler — how can we mark Chandler as a place of healing for ALL??? (comment with answers or email me: sean@chanderbc.org)

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This Palm Sunday we continue our message theme Resurrection Life. Jesus entered Jerusalem with the crowd celebrating, but Jesus was marked by something else… hope you will join us at 10:30, in person with masks or streaming on Facebook and Youtube.