Happy March!
Spring has arrived in the Valley of the Sun, and the temperatures have already reached into the 80s. We
shared a wonderful Ash Wednesday service in mid- February, and we are now journeying through Lent toward Holy Week. I warmly invite you to attend our Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services, and then celebrate the resurrection and glory of Easter morning at either our Sunrise Service or our 9:00 a.m. worship service.
 Our Lay Leader recently reflected on the theme of hope, which led me to reflect on hope as well.

 I experience hope at Desert Chapel every week -- in the smiles, questions, hugs, and conversations I share with you. Our numbers have grown, and we continue to celebrate a loving community of Christ, bonded not by identical opinions but by our shared love for one another.
 At times the world can feel unsettling. We live in a season marked by military conflict, rising prices, uncertain futures, and another political cycle. As we approach the darknessof Good Friday, we also carry grief for friendswho are no longer with us.

 I return to a simple truth: we are walking toward there surrection and the glory of Easter. No matter how deep the darkness may seem, it is never the final word. At the crucifixion the disciples were scattered in fear and their Messiah had been killed. And yet on that Sunday
morning the light of Christ burst forth from the empty tomb. Death
was overcome and hope was restored.

 As Luke (Luke 24:5–6, NIV) records: Finding Hope Together: 
 These reflections are not meant to be naïvely optimistic. Many among us face health challenges, financial uncertainty, or the worry of loved ones serving in dangerous places. Christ does not promise to remove every burden, but Christ does promise to walk with us
through them.
 And I see that hope each time we gather for worship— in the kindness you show one another, in the prayers you lift up, and in the
strength of this community. Together we continue to walk through the darkness… and toward the glory of the Resurrection.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Philip