This Resurrection Sunday, we come face to face with difficulty—those trials, griefs, and heartaches that seem to stand between us and the joy we long for. The message of 1 Peter 1 is clear: that difficulty may be heavy, but we're not alone. There is a key, and it’s found in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through God’s mercy, new birth, a perfect inheritance, and a living Savior, we are given real, lasting hope that cuts through even our darkest pain. The resurrection doesn’t just promise life after death—it transforms how we live now, giving us joy, love, praise, and faith that endures. Trust the living Christ, take the key of faith, and walk into the hope that only the gospel can give.

When you think about what Jesus did on the Thursday before His crucifixion, it should absolutely stop you in your tracks. Here's Jesus, with less than 24 hours to live, and what does He do? He serves. He gives. He loves. Jesus takes the Passover meal, which the Jews had been celebrating for over a thousand years. Then He does something that would have been shocking to everyone in the room—He gets up from the table, takes off His outer garment, wraps a towel around His waist, and starts washing His disciples' feet. This wasn't just humble; this was the job of the lowest servant in the household. Yet Jesus, knowing He was about to endure the cross, spent some of His final moments performing this act of radical servanthood.

The question for us is painfully simple: If Jesus, knowing what was coming, could serve others in their lowest needs, what excuse do we have for thinking any service is beneath us? Who in your life needs you to "wash their feet" today? What act of humble service are you avoiding because you think it's beneath your dignity? On Maundy Thursday, Jesus demolishes all our excuses.

Do this in remembrance of me.

As we slowed down today, we focused our hearts on the body and blood of Jesus, and the sacrifice he paid in our place so that we can have salvation.

When we think about Holy Week as Christians, we tend to focus on Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday, but what about those "Silent Days" in between? In this conversation, we break down what actually happened during Jesus's final week on earth. We start by acknowledging most Christians couldn't tell you what happened on Tuesday of Holy Week, then walk through Monday's events where Jesus cursed the fig tree—a powerful picture that Israel was in trouble—and cleansed the temple, directly challenging religious authorities who were profiting from worship. Tuesday was incredibly tense, with Jesus silencing three waves of challengers, pronouncing seven woes against the religious leaders, and delivering His most extensive end-times teaching on the Mount of Olives. By Wednesday, the religious leaders had had enough and plotted to kill Him. We also discuss Saturday, that quiet day when Jesus's body lay in the tomb—proving He really did die—while guards secured it. The most important takeaway: Jesus intentionally created this tension to expose religious hypocrisy. He doesn't want our outward religious performance; He wants our hearts. This Easter, don't be like the whitewashed tombs Jesus condemned.

The Bible consistently reveals one fundamental conflict that lies at the heart of human rebellion: Who gets to be king? We see this dramatically illustrated in two key stories. First, in David and Absalom—a son who wasn't content being a prince but wanted his father's throne, leading to his downfall. Then, in Genesis 11, with the Tower of Babel, humanity collectively tried to exalt themselves instead of God, refusing His command to spread throughout the earth. These stories expose three critical players in every kingship conflict. First, there's always a pretend king—Absalom in David's story, the people at Babel in Genesis, and frankly, all of us today when we live as though we're in charge. Second, there's the true King—David in his kingdom, and God Himself in the universe, who responds to human pride not just with judgment (confusing languages) but also with grace (preventing worse consequences of rebellion). But the Babel story ends unresolved, with the fundamental problem of human hearts trying to usurp God's throne still unsettled. That's where those genealogies surrounding the passage become so important—they trace a line forward through history, pointing to the ultimate resolution in Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, who doesn't just end the conflict but transforms pretend kings into willing servants who finally find fulfillment in submitting to the True King. The question isn't whether God is King—that's settled—but whether we'll stop playing pretend and surrender our plastic crowns to embrace His perfect rule.

Pastor Trevor Komatsu shows us from Luke 5:27-32 how Jesus calls men unto him.