Dear Partner in Preaching, There is no question that this Easter will be different. Very different. As in, unlike any Easter Sunday in the memory of any of our members. Our churches will be empty, not filled by the crowds we’d hoped for. Not even gatherings of any meaningful size. Our people will be feeling isolated, unsure even of when they might go out again. And many of them will be afraid – for their safety, for their lives, for their futures. And we may wonder what, if any, value our words will have, what comfort they may bring, whether it is worth bringing them at all. Yes, this Easter will be different. Very different, unlike...

John 20:1-18 Dear Partner in Preaching, I know this is your busy week, our busy week, and rather than close with a word of gratitude, I want to start there. So many people will come to hear a word of hope and healing this Sunday. So many will come not knowing what they need to hear, just that they need to be there. So many will come not even aware of their need, perhaps coming out of habit, or to please another family member, or just because it’s Easter. And you will greet all of them the same, proclaim the good news to each as if the only thing that matters is that they are there to hear God’s good news of resurrection, healing,...

John 20:1-18 Kkkkatie, beautiful Katie, You’re the only gggirl that I adore. When the mmmoon shines, over the cccowshed, I’ll be waiting for you by the kkkitchen door. Dear Partner in Preaching, Not my typical beginning to this letter, I know. But then again, this isn’t your typical Sunday. So allow me to explain…. Because the song I referenced above never failed to bring a smile to the face of my daughter when she was a toddler, it always came in pretty handy when she was upset. Whether recovering from a bruised knee or a lost contest with her older brother for some toy, my daughter Katie invariably responded to my singing, first...

One of my favorite Easter memories from childhood is hunting down our Easter baskets and then devouring the chocolate within them. Actually, I have no single memory of that, more like a montage made up of many, many such memories. Guessing that I’m not alone in having such memories, and knowing that many of us will be shopping in the next couple of weeks in preparation for Easter festivities, I wanted to suggest that this year you consider purchasing your Easter treats from Divine Chocolate. Divine Chocolate is produced from the cocoa beans from the Kuapa Kokoo (“Good Cocoa Farmers Company” in the local Twi language) cooperative, a...

As I shared in a post last year, my best friend from childhood, Luke, was the son of a Greek Orthodox priest. As both of our dads were clergy, and as we both spent lots of time therefore at church, we also had a lot to talk about when it came to the faith. I remember very clearly learning for the first time – I must have been seven or eight – that Luke’s family celebrated Easter at a different time from when we did. Not always, but usually, and it made me really curious. As it turns out, and as I learned with the help of Luke’s parents, Orthodox Christians – including Greek and Russian and other members of the Orthodox faith –...