Easter Sunday, April 5, 2026

Christ the Lord Is Risen Today – UMH 302

Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia!

Earth and heaven in chorus say, Alleluia!

Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!

Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia!

Love's redeeming work is done, Alleluia!

Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!

Death in vain forbids him rise, Alleluia!

Christ has opened paradise, Alleluia!

Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!

Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!

Once he died our souls to save, Alleluia!

Where's thy victory, boasting grave? Alleluia!

Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia!

Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!

Made like him, like him we rise, Alleluia!

Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!

Hail the Lord of earth and heaven, Alleluia!

Praise to thee by both be given, Alleluia!

Thee we greet triumphant now, Alleluia!

Hail the Resurrection, thou, Alleluia!

King of glory, soul of bliss, Alleluia!

Everlasting life is this, Alleluia!

Thee to know, thy power to prove, Alleluia!

Thus to sing, and thus to love, Alleluia!

Charles Wesley

Holy Saturday, April 4, 2026

Family Ties

Read: 1 Kings 19:11-12

My family’s roots stretch back to the East Coast, where four brothers began their journeys. The two oldest stayed connected to that part of the country through their high school and college years, eventually building successful careers as college professors—one in business, the other in pediatrics.

Peter and I, the younger pair, became the Midwesterners. We built our lives in the Central time zone, shaped by the steadiness and groundedness that the Midwest seems to cultivate. Peter remained in Northwest Indiana, and over the years we grew closer—especially after our mother passed away in 2021 and we were entrusted together as co-executors of her estate.

During that same season, Peter entered a difficult divorce, complete with the emotional turbulence that so often accompanies such transitions. Two of his sons distanced themselves, while his daughter stayed connected. In the midst of it all, I found myself stepping in—sometimes by circumstance, sometimes by a calling. I was present when one of the hardest moments came to a head, and from that point forward I stayed close, listening without judgment, offering steadiness, and walking with him as he rebuilt his life. Today he is moving forward with courage, navigating both challenges and new opportunities.

But the deeper story—the one that reveals God’s quiet, surprising grace—is the bond between Peter and our daughter, Katrina. She lives in Mt. Pleasant, and from childhood she has been his favorite niece, just as he has always been her favorite uncle. Their connection has never been forced; it simply was, and it endured.

Peter is a straight shooter—emotionally, spiritually, and even literally, as a skilled marksman and conservationist through Ducks Unlimited. Katrina’s faith expression differs from his, yet somehow they meet on common ground, finding mutual respect and genuine family affection. Throughout his difficult season, her steady presence became a lifeline—an anchor of encouragement, compassion, and family loyalty.

The Lord works in ways we often don’t anticipate. Sometimes His grace arrives not through grand gestures, but through the quiet constancy of a niece who calls, listens, and loves. Their bond is a reminder that family ties, when nurtured by God’s Spirit, can become sources of healing and hope far beyond our understanding.

Dave DeWitt

Good Friday, April 3, 2026

Finding Joy in Sorrow

Jeremiah 31:13 says, I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.

I heard this passage in a broadcast today and discovered the meaning of it. We have experienced several deaths of loved ones recently. Most significant to me, of course, was the loss of my father in October, after watching him struggle to be healed all Summer. Our family lived in a state of frustration while multiple medical teams failed to come up with a diagnosis. We spent months in prayers, discussions, treatments, surgeries, and diagnostic tests too numerous to count until he was in too much pain to continue the fight. The day after he passed the doctor called with a diagnosis – metastatic cancer of the urothelial system. (I only note this for the curious who don’t like to be left in a state of perplexity.)

So, as you can imagine, we spent the entire Summer and Fall already grieving for the man he was just prior to the onset of this journey. He was strong and tough and busy, busy, busy. He cared for the yard, planted a large garden, made their meals, did the shopping, was rebuilding a tractor out in the barn, going to sporting events for the great-grandchildren, planning which car shows to attend... A man who was nowhere close to death – at least not on the outside.

Then came the funeral, and it was amazing. It was a wonderful tribute to a very much-loved man of the community who worked so very hard his whole life and served others in many ways. It was one of those services you walk away from feeling good about, even in your grief. He was nearly 89 years old, yet rather than a sparsely filled funeral home, it was packed! They were running out of space to park vehicles that were heading to the cemetery. The luncheon afterward filled the church basement! There were so many stories and laughter and love shared about my father that it pushed that pain and grief aside and brought us joy. We knew that he had touched several lives beyond our personal family network and left a legacy in many others’ lives as well. That is how God’s presence turns our mourning into gladness, and our sorrow into joy.

Now that I recognize it, I can place it into many scenarios. The daughters whose father was not very present in their lives, but who saw a whole different man in the stories of the people who knew him from work whom he had helped along the way. It took their bitterness away and gave them peace instead. The many young friends of my son, who said they’d be in a bad place if Evan hadn’t spoken to them and helped them turn from a dark path. I knew he was a solid Christian, but I didn’t know he was doing that. It was amazing!

I believe you too have seen this if you reflect upon funerals you have attended. God brings these people to us to tell their stories, to bring us the comfort and joy our loved one brought to them.

Debbie Smith

Maundy Thursday, April 2, 2026

… but I Can’t Place the Face

Read: James 1:22-25

Are you ever surprised by what you see in the mirror?

I know I am – especially since I stopped wearing glasses a couple of years ago.

Photographs are even more problematic. They can show me what I look like from an angle or point of view that I could never have on my own – and they can be even more surprising than the mirror, if you ask me.

“Is that really what I look like?” I’ve thought that many times as I looked through someone else’s pictures.

James tells us that if we’re not serious about our faith, we’re like someone who looks in the mirror and forgets what he saw once he goes away. Apparently I’m guilty of that, from a physical mirror standpoint, anyway.

What I think James is really getting at, though, is that we are all created in God’s image, and the Bible acts as the mirror to reveal what we really look like, not what we would like to think we do.

It doesn’t really matter much what my hair looks like (or doesn’t, if you know what I mean). It’s much more important that I remember I’m supposed to look like my Father. As David might put it, I’m supposed to live and love like Jesus.

Prayer: Father, help me to remember that I’m supposed to reflect Your Light, Your Grace, Your Love so that when people see me, they give praise to You. May the Holy Spirit work in me to make me more like Jesus every day. In His blessed Name, Amen

Charlie van Becelaere

Wednesday, April 1, 2026

Leave Your Land

Read: Genesis 12:1-4a

The LORD said to Abram, “Leave your land, your family, and your father’s household for the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation and will bless you. I will make your name respected, and you will be a blessing” – Genesis 12:1-2, CEB

“Leave your land…” The first words of Genesis 12 immediately catch our attention. In the aftermath of the Tower of Babel, God chooses to covenant with Abram. God does so, because it is God’s choice. Abram is unaware of this call until it occurs. He has lived his life without any inkling of such a possibility. For the people of Abram’s time, you were born in your family’s land. You lived in your family’s land. You died and were buried in your family’s land. But God is a God of new opportunities. God is a God of change. And here now, God is calling Abram to a new land, a land where his descendant would live to become a great nation and be a blessing to others. It seems almost too good to be true, except for the “having to leave my family and my family’s land” part. That may be difficult. Also, Sarah, his wife, doesn’t know anything about this yet. This will lead to an interesting dinner conversation.

And, this may be important, too. They’re old, and they’re childless. When their family and friends look at them, they don’t exactly see “future” in them.

But here’s the thing… God sees the future in them and through them, and that, my friends, is enough. So, it begs the question: What does God see in us that we can’t see yet? How might a future blessing be unfolding among us and through us? When God calls, will we be able to say “Yes” like Abram and Sarah?

Prayer: God of new possibilities, God of new ways, may we never trap ourselves in the status quo. Give us a vision to see the future blessings that you will be unleashing through us. Give us the courage to trust you and your holy way, even when You call us into new experiences, new learnings, and new places. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Rev. David Eardley