Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Beloved, Easter has come and the tomb stands empty. Jesus, the lamb who was slain is risen. So…what happens now?
Just as the story doesn’t end with the cross, neither does it end with the resurrection. Because the truth is that the story of the Bible is not just God’s story; it is also ours. We have seen the story of so many people—giants of faith, but still ordinary people just like you and me—who changed the world because they dared to believe that God’s promises were true. And we know that God’s work in the world didn’t end with Jesus. Nor did it end with Peter or Mary Magdalene, Paul or Lydia, John or Junia. The story continues through people like Augustine and Crysostom and Luther and Calvin and Wesley. The story continues through people like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Martin Luther King Jr., Dorothy Day, Mother Teresa. The story of God’s great love for the world is still being written today, through you and me; ordinary people with faith in an extraordinary God.
Easter is not just a day. And while it is a season in the Church year, it is more than that too. Easter is a paradigm shift, a new reality. Easter is a way of being in the world. And you and I have been called to be Easter people. There is so much hurt and hatred, fear and frustration, despair and death in the world, and as Easter people, we are called to confront it. We are called to act with love, walk by faith, and speak with hope. We are called to be the hands and feet of the risen Christ, embracing this world and all with whom we share it in unlimited, unrelenting love. Easter is not a celebration; it is a sending.
Beloved, may you be Easter people, going out into the world to share the good news with everyone you meet. Christ is risen indeed! Because he lives, we too shall live. And there is nothing in all creation that can separate us from God’s love. Alleluia! Amen!
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Will Starkweather
Last modified: April 24, 2025