April 18th, 2025 | Rev. Dr. Mark Charles

Dear Memorial:

By the time you receive this pastor’s note, we will already have remembered Christ’s gathering with his friends, the institution of the Lord’s Supper in our tradition, and the betrayal that would come soon after. Today, Good Friday, is the day that people of faith gather at the foot of the cross to sit with Jesus in his suffering and death, and to reflect on the example of sacrificial love that’s at the epicenter of his willingness to walk the Via Dolorosa.

On Sunday morning, some of us will gather at sunrise to celebrate and worship the risen Christ, and most of us will gather at either 8:00am, 9:30am, or 11:00am for Easter Sunday worship, also an announcement and celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and all that it means for our lives.

And what does it mean for our lives?  That’s a good question that we could spend weeks exploring.  Clearly, we don’t have that space here, so let me offer you a brief thought for your own ponderance.

In Christ’s suffering and death, we encounter the depth of God’s love for the world (John 3:16). That God in Christ willingly enters into the human experience of suffering, absorbing the violence of the world into his body, and dying for the sake of us is the fullness of love. On this Good Friday, perhaps you will take a moment to sit quietly for a few minutes and reflect on the fullness of God’s love for you and for the world. There really is no greater love than the willing sacrificial love that is found in Christ. (John 15:13)

In Christ’s glorious resurrection, we encounter the sheer power of God.  Think about it: out of all the greatness, strength, intelligence, and creativity that exists in humans, only one of the billions of us who have lived on earth have even been able to overcome death. That one is Jesus, God’s Son. In him is all the frail humanity we know and experience AND all the fullness of God. The divine power that created us is the divine power that raises Jesus from the dead and makes him victorious over death, and that divine power is now shared with us so that we may know victory of sin and death.

May we all know the fullness of God’s love and power this Easter weekend.

Blessings,

Pastor Charlie

P.S – I can’t wait to see you at church this weekend. Why not invite a friend or family member to come with you to church? God’s perfect love and power over sin and death are for all people. Let’s share it extravagantly through our invitations to others!