Pastor’s Prattle

April 2026

When we come to church on Sundays, what do we expect? We come expecting to see many of the same people, follow the same liturgy, sing familiar hymns, hear a well-worn favorite story. Very little changes from week to week. Maybe we’ll get lucky and hear a sermon that stands out from the usual.

Easter Sunday is no different, except we will probably see someone we haven’t seen since Christmas. There will be flowers everywhere. The paraments will be white. The music will be more celebratory than what we have been singing during Lent. The message will be focused, not on the result of sin, but the result of Jesus paying the price for it. The emphasis will be life!

Who among us, though, will come to church expecting to run into Jesus? The women on Easter morning went to the tomb, expecting Jesus to still be there. Much to their surprise, they didn’t find Jesus, but an angel, telling them what had become obvious – Jesus wasn’t there. He had come back to life! Then, even more surprising, they ran into him (Matthew 28). And he spoke to them!

Do you expect to encounter Jesus when you come on Sundays? Do you feel his presence? Do you hear him speak to you? Is he real for you? Or is he confined to a story in a book, an image on the wall, a mention in the choir anthem? And do we leave him behind when the service is over?

The whole point of Easter is that Jesus is no longer restrained by anything in the realm of time and space. Not bound by death, not confined to a burial place, not limited to a point in time. Which means he is also not limited to the place where we worship or the hour that we spend there. He has taken up once again the part of his divinity that he laid aside for us and has assumed his place as King of all creation at the right hand of power in the heavenly realm.

So, what does that mean for you? When you come for worship, do you expect to be greeted by Jesus, for him to speak to you? The fact is, when you arrive, he is already here. The risen Christ is here to greet you, to speak to you, to have an encounter with you in the Word and at the Table. He is not confined in any way but fills this space and is ready to fill your heart and mind. And the best part, when we leave, he goes with us, living in us, always present.

The next time you come into the church, be ready to meet Jesus. He is waiting for you. Remember, HE IS RISEN!

Pastor Jim