Pastoral Ponderings April 2026

We have spent the last several weeks walking through the quiet, reflective shadows of Lent. We have remembered, reflected and we’ve followed the heavy steps of Jesus toward the cross. But now, the air has shifted. Hopefully, your reflection has led to sense of
renewal. Ready to burst forth in the same manner spring flowers do.
Easter is more than a beautiful Sunday service or a historical event we mark once a year. It is the definitive proof that hope has the final word.

In the garden that first Easter morning, the disciples were bracing for an ending. Realistically, they expected a tomb, a body, and a closed chapter on a powerful ministry. Instead, they found that some ministries live beyond the grave. The remembrance of the
resurrection tells us that with God, even the most “final” situations—our failures, our grief, and our deepest fears—are subject to change.
The same power is at work in us today. It is a power that:
* Restores what we thought was lost.
* Redeems and move us beyond our past mistakes.
* Renews our understanding of our self as a holy child of God and given the strength to permit that understanding to guide us forward.

As the flowers begin to poke through the soil this spring, let them be a visual sermon for you. Every bloom is a reminder that life wins. We aren’t just people who celebrate the resurrection; we are people who live it. Let’s carry that Easter joy into our neighborhoods, our workplaces, and our homes this month.

Blessings, Rev. Gloria