My Sisters and Brothers in Jesus Christ,
It can be difficult to speak of the victory of Jesus Christ when so much around us seems to say otherwise. War, violence, politics, illness, environmental degradation, and death press in on every side. The world often feels wounded and restless, and many people understandably wonder where resurrection hope is to be found in the middle of such sorrow. Yet the Gospel accounts remind us that the risen Christ often comes to his people in ways they do not immediately recognize. The disciples on the road to Emmaus did not expect to meet him. They were walking in grief, confusion, and disappointment, and yet Jesus was already walking beside them. That remains true for us. Easter does not deny suffering. It proclaims that suffering, violence, and death do not have the final word. Christ is risen, and because he is risen, even the roads marked by grief and uncertainty can become places of encounter, grace, and renewed hope.
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The story of Emmaus is especially important because it reminds us that people come looking for Jesus in many different ways. Some seek healing. Some seek direction. Some seek comfort. Some, like the women at the tomb, seek him with love but through tears. And some, like the disciples on the road, are not really seeking him at all so much as trying to make sense of a broken world. Yet it is often there, in confusion and disappointment, that the risen Christ draws near. We do not always recognize him at first. Our hearts may burn before our eyes are opened. But he is not absent simply because he is hidden. He still meets his people in the opening of the Scriptures, in the breaking of the bread, and in the quiet companionship of grace along the road.

This same Easter hope shaped a video I released this past week, “The Resurrection of Jesus: Hope for our Grief and Dying.” In it, I reflect on how the resurrection does not ask us to pretend pain is unreal. Jesus himself wept, and Christians are free to grieve honestly before God. Grief is not a lack of faith. It is part of our humanity, and it must be brought into the presence of the Lord. At the same time, the resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of our hope. It is not merely a mood or a seasonal sentiment, but the pledge that death has been broken open from within. Those we love who have died are safe in Christ, and we remain in communion with them through prayer, the Eucharist, and the communion of saints. Even our own mortality no longer has to be faced with despair, because Jesus Christ has gone before us through death into life.

In a wounded world, we are not meant to carry our burdens alone. We are called to lift one another up in prayer, to stand with each other in faith, and to support one another through grief, fear, illness, and uncertainty. That is one reason we continue to post prayer videos several days a week along with our Sunday liturgy: to help keep prayer at the center of our common life in Christ. If you have a prayer request, please share it with us. Let us be a community that prays for one another, bears one another’s burdens, and reminds each other that the risen Christ is still near, still acting, and still leading his people into hope.
Peace,
Rev. Ben

​My Sisters and Brothers in Jesus Christ,

Christ is risen, and because he is risen, everything is changed. The resurrection of Jesus is not only a historical event we remember, but the transforming truth by which we now understand all of life. In the risen Christ, sin and death are defeated, hope is restored, and the Lord still speaks his word of peace to a fearful and wounded world. Easter teaches us to see our lives through the victory of Jesus Christ and to live as people of the resurrection—with faith, hope, love, and courage.

This week we also invite you to watch our new video, The Resurrection Accounts of the Sacred Scriptures. This presentation traces the hope of resurrection from the Old Testament, through the signs in the ministry of Jesus, to the glory of Christ’s resurrection and its meaning for believers today. It reflects on the unity of the Gospel witness and the great gifts revealed in Easter: forgiveness, new creation, and enduring hope.
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We invite you to join us online for liturgy and to send us your prayer requests. We would be honored to pray for you.
Peace,
Rev. Ben

My Sisters and Brothers in Jesus Christ,

Blessed Easter! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! In this holy season, we rejoice that Jesus Christ has conquered sin and death. The Resurrection is not simply the happy ending to a sorrowful story. It is the victory of God over all that enslaves, wounds, and darkens human life. In Christ, death is broken from within. The grave is no longer the final word. Shame, sin, despair, and hopelessness do not have the last claim over the human person, because the risen Lord has entered even the depths in order to bring forth life. Easter proclaims that there is no place so lost, no sorrow so deep, and no darkness so great that it lies beyond the reach of the victorious love of Jesus Christ.

This week we also released a video, “The Message of Holy Saturday: Jesus Descends to Hell,” reflecting on the meaning of Holy Saturday and Christ’s descent to the dead. The video explores the scriptural and theological foundations of this ancient Christian teaching and highlights the Lord’s triumph over death, Hades, and every power opposed to life. It also offers a word of hope for our own lives, reminding us that Christ enters even the places of grief, shame, loss, and bondage in order to bring freedom and light.
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As always, we warmly invite you to continue praying along with us through our recordings of prayer and Divine Liturgy. May the joy of the risen Christ strengthen your faith, renew your hope, and fill your heart with peace in this Easter season.
Peace,
Rev. Ben