“We had hoped…”

In this powerful post-resurrection story, two disciples walk away from everything they thought they understood all while grieving, confused, and unsure what comes next. And yet, without their knowing, Jesus walks beside them. This week’s message reminds us that faith isn’t about always recognizing Christ in the moment, but trusting that we are never walking alone.

In the days after Easter, when the alleluias begin to fade and the world still feels uncertain, we might find ourselves asking: Now what? In John 20:19–31, we encounter Thomas—not as a symbol of doubt to avoid, but as a companion in faith. His questions echo our own as we try to make sense of resurrection in a world that hasn’t fully changed. This Sunday, we’ll explore what it means to be an Easter people who don’t have all the answers, but who continue to show up, seek Christ, and bear witness to resurrection in our everyday lives.

The tomb is empty. Love wins. Now what?

This Easter sermon is a bold, joy-filled proclamation that resurrection is not just something we believe—it’s something we live. In a world marked by grief and brokenness, we are called to rise, to act, and to bear witness to the transforming power of love.

Because resurrection isn’t the end of the story.

It’s the beginning of ours.

Palm Sunday isn’t just a celebration — it’s a moment of courage. As Jesus enters Jerusalem, the crowds cry out “Hosanna,” a word that means both praise and a plea: Save us. But this isn’t a quiet or safe moment. It’s a public, risky act of hope in the shadow of empire. In this final message of our Lenten series Bearing Witness, we explore what it means to practice love in public — a love that shows up, speaks out, and refuses to stay hidden. What does it look like to follow Jesus not just in belief, but in bold, visible, courageous love? And what might it mean to walk into Holy Week ready to bear witness — not just to celebration, but to the full story?

This week in our Lenten series Bearing Witness, we explore what it means to bear witness to hope in a world surrounded by death-dealing systems, despair, and exhaustion. In today’s reading of the Gospel (John 11:1-45), John’s story of Lazarus unfolds slowly in the shadow of grief. Mary and Martha mourn the loss of their brother, and even Jesus himself weeps at the tomb. Yet in the midst of that sorrow, Jesus speaks a powerful word of life: “Lazarus, come out.” Jesus does not ignore the pain of his friends, nor does he offer easy explanations for suffering. Instead, he meets people in their grief and still calls life forth from the tomb.

This week in our Lenten series Bearing Witness, we encounter the story of Jesus and the man born with limited vision (John 9:1–41). This powerful passage challenges harmful assumptions about suffering and invites us into deeper awareness of God’s work in our lives and world. As pressure mounts to deny lived experience and obscure truth, we explore how clarity emerges through integrity, courage, and faithful witness. What does it mean to speak truth, honor dignity, and bear witness to Christ’s transforming love today?

John 4:5–42 (The Voice) invites us to lean into our call to be a people who bear witness to truth. In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus has an incredible encounter with a Samaritan woman, known in the Orthodox tradition as Photini. At the well, truth is spoken without shame and received with grace. The Samaritan woman’s testimony is powerful not because it is perfect, but because it is honest. When she returns to her village with an invitation to “Come and see,” her witness to truth becomes an act of liberation that ripples outward into the community.

In the second week of our Lenten series Bearing Witness: Seeing, Trusting, and Testifying to God at Work, we encounter Nicodemus’ nighttime conversation with Jesus (John 3:1–17). Together we explore what it means to trust God even when our understanding is still unfolding. This week invites us to consider how faith moves from private belief to public witness, and how trusting God’s transforming love can shape how we live, serve, and act in our community.

In this first week of Lent, we bear witness to struggle through Jesus’ time in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1–11). Rather than a battle with an external enemy, we explore this moment as a profound encounter between Jesus’ humanity and divinity — a struggle that reflects our own wrestling with calling, identity, and faith. What does it mean to struggle with God rather than because of God? Together we consider how leaning into our wilderness moments can deepen our trust, shape our discipleship, and empower us to bear witness to God’s transforming love in the world.

…must come down. Today we stand on the mountain (Matthew 17:1–9) with Peter, James, and John. We will witness Christ radiant in light. We will hear the voice that calls Him Beloved. And we will watch the disciples wrestle with what to do next. Because the mountain is not the destination. The light is given not to be preserved — but to be carried. As we prepare to enter Lent, we will explore what it means to live in the “already and not yet” of God’s kin-dom — and how we are called to come down the mountain as witnesses to resurrection