A MESSAGE FROM THE PASTOR
APRIL 2026
TRINITY U.C.C. VISION STATEMENT:
All will know the love of God through the teaching of Jesus!!
Trinity U.C.C. is called by
God to:
–Share God’s love with our
community
–Serve God’s children
–Bring healing and
wholeness to those in need
–Share the Gospel in
liturgy, music and study
God to:
–Share God’s love with our
community
–Serve God’s children
–Bring healing and
wholeness to those in need
–Share the Gospel in
liturgy, music and study
Catch the Vision,
Share the Joy!!
I come that you may have abundance of life!
(John 10:10)
(John 10:10)
Dear Friends,
This month will begin with our Holy Week services. We will encounter Jesus’ humility as he washes the feet of his disciples. We will gather at the table for Jesus’ last meal with his disciples. We will hear Jesus tell them to have love for one another. We will observe Jesus being betrayed, deserted, and abandoned. We will hear Jesus offer forgiveness and grace from the cross.
Then on Easter morning we will celebrate that death does not have the final word. But we must remember that Easter is a season. On the Sundays that follow Easter morning, we will hear stories of how the resurrected Christ meets people paralyzed by fear and offers them hope!
Then on Easter morning we will celebrate that death does not have the final word. But we must remember that Easter is a season. On the Sundays that follow Easter morning, we will hear stories of how the resurrected Christ meets people paralyzed by fear and offers them hope!
As we approach the joy of the Easter season, I share these words from Dr. Diana Butler Bass, an American Church History scholar:
In the world we experience, death is the last thing. It is the final act of all lives. In the Christian year, however, life follows death. The end of everything is the beginning of unimagined and unexpected newness.
Lent is the prelude to Easter, and at Easter, introspection and repentance give way to the triumph of rebirth and resurrection.
In the world we experience, death is the last thing. It is the final act of all lives. In the Christian year, however, life follows death. The end of everything is the beginning of unimagined and unexpected newness.
Lent is the prelude to Easter, and at Easter, introspection and repentance give way to the triumph of rebirth and resurrection.
Lent is the prelude to Easter, and at Easter, introspection and repentance give way to the triumph of rebirth and resurrection.
Resurrection isn’t resuscitation. It is isn’t regeneration. And it is different from reincarnation. It isn’t just renewal. Resurrection happens after death. Indeed, death is necessary for resurrection.
Resurrection isn’t resuscitation. It is isn’t regeneration. And it is different from reincarnation. It isn’t just renewal. Resurrection happens after death. Indeed, death is necessary for resurrection.
Some Christians are absolutely convinced that resurrection means that literal bodies will rise from the dead. Others claim resurrection entails some sort of new spiritual body. It might describe an alternative spiritual state of personhood. Still others insist that resurrection is political or social liberation. Christians argue about whether resurrection was a scientific fact, evidenced in history, a communal visionary or mystical experience, or something else. The New Testament employs a variety of metaphors to explain it. Even Paul and Luke seem not to agree.
But all agree on two central truths of Easter. First, death is not the last word of human experience. And second, whatever the Resurrection was, is, or will be, it serves as the gateway to a new existence—a life of mercy, service, gratitude, and love.
Like Christmas, Easter is more than a single day. It is a season of fifty days. As spring lengthens, as the earth awakens, the year invites us to explore the many meanings of resurrection. It raises questions, even as it inspires hope. Easter speaks to anyone longing for abundant life.
(Taken from A Beautiful Year: 52 Meditations on Faith, Wisdom, and Perseverance, Diana Butler Bass, 2025)
Like Christmas, Easter is more than a single day. It is a season of fifty days. As spring lengthens, as the earth awakens, the year invites us to explore the many meanings of resurrection. It raises questions, even as it inspires hope. Easter speaks to anyone longing for abundant life.
(Taken from A Beautiful Year: 52 Meditations on Faith, Wisdom, and Perseverance, Diana Butler Bass, 2025)
Blessings,
Pastor Chris
