April. The daffodils are bravely raising their heads. People are gathering to hear how death tramples down death. The holy One keeps on creating and recreating. The crucified One draws all things to himself transforming the world by compassionate, self-emptying love.

The Sabbath is for rest and for remembrance. Resting and remembering - resting in order to remember who we are - remembering in order to rest from our many labors.

So, perhaps even in the midst of the many demands of Holy Week and Easter there can be a Sabbath mood that can rest upon your days - a Sabbath resting in the creative and compassionate arms of our God; and a Sabbath remembrance that the crucified God holds all of us in his compassionate embrace.

The daffodils will blossom any day now.

Pastor Lee Goodwin +

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The Project Director
The Rev. Dr. Lee Goodwin

Pastor Lee Goodwin has been called by the Northern Great Lakes Synod Council to serve as Director of The Sabbath Project.

Pr. Goodwin has served as a Parish Pastor for over 27 years, 22 of them on the territory of the NGLS. He has served as Pastor Developer of a new mission congregation and has extensive experience as a retreat leader and spiritual director.

He received the B.A. Degree in American Studies from Hamline University, St. Paul, Minn. (1977); the M. Div. from Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (1981); and the D. Min. in Spiritual Direction from The Graduate Theological Foundation, South Bend, IN (1999) He is also a graduate of the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation’s Contemplative Prayer Group Leaders Program (1996) and Spiritual Guidance Program (1999), and has completed the Teaching Practicum in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction at the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School(2008).