Wednesday Message

April 1, 2026

 

And So, We Rise

Christ has disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

— Colossians 2:15

On Easter Sunday, we shout it with joy: Christ is risen!

But what does resurrection mean to us, today, some two thousand years after Christ arose?

It means everything.  It changes everything.

The tomb is still empty.  The stone is still rolled away.  And Christ is still risen—not just out of the tomb, but into the world.  Resurrection isn’t just something that happened to Jesus.  It’s something that happened through Jesus—first to his disciples, and now to us.

The earliest followers of Jesus weren’t convinced by an empty tomb or a polished argument.  They knew Christ rose because they, themselves, were changed by a presence.  Something—or someone—found them in their locked rooms, on their roads of confusion, and in their moments of fear, and said: “Do not be afraid.”

And so, they rose.

They rose from grief.
They rose from fear.
They rose from silence and shame and despair.
And they stepped into a world still ruled by empire—not to hide, but to heal.  The same disciples who had been too afraid to acknowledge their discipleship were suddenly stepping into the streets to proclaim good news to the poor, release for the prisoners, and freedom for the oppressed in the name of Jesus.

We’re called to do the same.

Even now, the powers of empire are real.  People are silenced.  The poor are crushed.  Justice is bent.  But resurrection means empire never gets the last word.

To be resurrection people is to rise with Christ—not just in spirit, but in courage.  To speak up.  To stand with the vulnerable.  To live as if love is stronger than fear.  Because it is.

Christ is risen.
And so… we rise.

Prayer:
Risen Christ, give us courage to rise today.  To speak truth.  To seek justice.  To love boldly.  Let Easter be more than a memory.  Let it be a movement—in us.  Amen.

 

Sign up in the narthex if you would like to volunteer to serve coffee on Sunday mornings.

Join us upstairs before church and downstairs in the Fellowship Hall following the worship service

on Sunday mornings for coffee and treats, everyone is welcome.

Bible Study, the 2nd & 4th Sunday of the month at 3pm with Pastor Dustin, everyone is welcome to join us.

 

Every other Thursday of the month Kimmie Schmieg will have her Girl Scout meeting in the

Fellowship Hall from 6 pm to 7pm.

 

 

Sunday Coffee

We will be serving coffee before church on Easter Sunday but will not be having coffee after

service that day.

 

• Maundy Thursday – April 2 at 5:30 pm
  (Soup supper, communion, and foot washing) in the Fellowship hall.

• Good Friday – April 3 at 5:30 pm
  (Tenebrae service)

• Easter Sunday – April 5, 10:00 am, worship as usual

Please note:

There will be no Church School on Easter, April 5.

 

The next Wing’s meeting will be Saturday, April 11th at 1:00 PM at the church.

We will be making tea lights for our shut-ins and tie blankets for “Sleep in Heavenly Peace”.

All women are welcome.

The next Meals On Wheels is Monday, April 13 through Friday April 17, 2026.

The members photo directory is now in, you can pick yours up from Susan Aamold in church or you are

welcome to stop at the office and pick it up.