Pastoral Message

May/June 2026

In the midst of the Easter season, we celebrate the heart of our faith. Christ Jesus is raised from the dead.  It is part of the mystery of faith: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. The gospels of this season emphasize that the victory of Christ over death is a shared victory.

The texts for the first three Sundays show that the risen Lord seeks to gather and empower his disciples with the new life of the resurrection. Christ rose from the dead not for himself. He burst forth from the sealed tomb not as a prisoner escaping from the confines of jail. He did not escape. His resurrection cast aside death, the ultimate “no” in our world. His resurrection proclaimed God’s eternal “yes,” God’s final word to the forces of evil.

In Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness, Satan tried to get Jesus to doubt his identity: if you are the Son of God. Jesus remained firm. Time and time again Jesus showed forth his faithfulness and obedience to God the Father. That faithfulness led him through the wilderness into his public ministry and the road that ultimately took him to Calvary.

While Easter cast that aside for him, the struggles and temptations still remain for you and me. Jesus came among his own on Easter to share his strength and victory to his church as a living hope. A living hope abides with us in order that we may persevere in the life to which we have been called.  As Peter reminded the crowds in his sermon on the Day of Pentecost, “we are witnesses of these things.”

As a community formed by an Easter hope, we are truly an Easter people. Thus, Easter is not a mere holy day celebration. It defines us as we witness for Christ. While the ministry of the Apostles ended in their life time, their witness lives on in all the generations that followed them. Their witness and traditions were passed on. There is continuity in the Church since the beginning. So, we in our day have received what was handed on. We are called in our lives to do the same.

Easter is a joyous time to remember that we remain connected to Christ.  He is the Good Shepherd. He is the vine and we are the branches. He continues to pray on our behalf.  He calls us to be one as he and the Father are one.  His message is that we are not alone as we engage in his ministry. His ministry is what the Church is about. A congregation can be known for many things. A congregation may have all sorts of programs and societies and outreach into the community. Yet what is central, what is the core of all that we say and do, is to gather around his word, hold to his promise and be true to him in our hearts and minds.

Easter empowers us for our mission. The joy of Easter may fade, but the power of the Risen Lord endures, even to rekindle glowing coals of faith into a burning hope in our most time of need.

Jesus Christ is Risen. Alleluia! He is risen indeed. Alleluia. Alleluia.

In Christ,

Pastor Combs