I looked back at the article I submitted for last April’s newsletter and saw that I began by talking about how it was sunny and 70 degrees. As I sat to write this year’s article, snow was blowing outside my window. It may be Spring, but it doesn’t quite feel like it. Of course, by the time you read this, everything may have changed. You know what they say: if you don’t like the weather, just wait a minute.
This year, April begins with Holy Week. And much like the weather, the story is full of highs and lows. It starts with Palm Sunday, as Jesus enters Jerusalem in a triumphant procession. A few days later, he gathers with his disciples for an intimate meal, washing their feet and sharing the Passover one last time. After the meal, things go downhill at a dizzying pace; Jesus is betrayed, arrested, convicted, and hung on a cross to die. But the story doesn’t end at the cross. On the third day, Jesus rises from the grave, victorious over death. The story of these days spans the full range of human emotion and experience.
And this is a story we need to hear again and again. Because it’s not just the story of what happened to Jesus long ago; this is our story as well. We know what it feels like to move from joy to sorry, from celebration to grief. We know what it feels like to say goodbye too soon. We know what it feels like to be betrayed, to be hurt, to be abandoned. We know the sting of death. And we need the promise of the resurrection: that because Jesus lives, so too shall we. Jesus came so that we might have life, eternal and abundant.
I hope you will join us for the full story. We’ll walk together from the triumphal entry to the table, from the courtroom to the cross, and finally to a tomb that stands empty. And there, we will be reminded that the resurrection is not a one-time event; it is a new reality. We are Easter people, and new life is not only our promise, but our purpose.
Blessings on your Holy Week, Beloved. And may we walk together as Easter people.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Will Starkweather
Last modified: April 20, 2026