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Between Sundays for the Week of April 13, 2026

Bishop Lee Miller shared a message for congregations in the Upstate New York Synod for the Second Sunday of Easter. We included his message in worship on Sunday. You can view his whole message here. (The link connects directly to the video. We know there were some sound issues for those worshipping through our livestream!)

Bishop Miller’s message reminds us of all the ways that God is persistent in showing up in all the locked rooms and paralyzing moments where we find ourselves (see John 20:19-31). Each time God shows up, we’re invited to keep following the way of Jesus. The way of Jesus sends us beyond our fears to embrace God’s love in the world beyond our locked doors. Pastor Hoffman pointed out in her Easter message last week, the way of Jesus keeps us moving forward, like Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, with fear and great joy, instead of being paralyzed and frozen by our fear, like the guards at Jesus’ tomb on the first Easter morning.

As we encounter change in our lives, in our world, even in our church and our sanctuary – we can be assured that Jesus will keep showing up for us, filling us with his Spirit and giving us his peace which passes all understanding. And the Spirit of Jesus keeps beaconing us to move beyond all the places where we are locked tight and frozen by fear.

Come, Spirit of Christ! Breathe on us and fill us with your peace!

P.S. View our Sunday worship service and share your presence with us by completing a contact form on our website! Links to previous worship videos are available on our website.

Faith Connection at Home

Many times in this segment I have shared a Faith 5 framework for you to use with your family at home during dinner, before bed or another moment when you find everyone together. But spring brings many activities for most of us, cutting our time together significantly. If carving out time for a Faith 5 feels impossible, here are 5 questions for each day to help you continue Inspired Conversations from Lent. Try asking them as you wait for the bus, during a car ride to practice, while you are in the drive-thru lane waiting to pick up dinner, or another stolen moment when you can grow the connections between each other, and reflect God’s love and care for us in the process. These questions are all framed by the story of Thomas, who is the disciple that doesn’t believe that Jesus is risen. Jesus shows Thomas the holes in his palms from being nailed to the cross.Then Thomas believes. You can find this story in John 20: 19-31.
  • Is there ever a reason you don’t ask questions? Why not?
  • Asking questions is one way to learn. What are other ways of learning?
  • What do you have trouble believing?
  • How can we believe when we can’t see Jesus?
  • What is something you do to help increase your faith when you doubt?

Ponderings

Steve Garnaas-Holmes shares a poem For Thomas.

“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands,
           and put my finger in the mark of the nails
           and my hand in his side,
           I will not believe.”
                        —John 20.25

It was not enough for Thomas to be told.
He needed to experience resurrection embodied.
So it is for those around us now.
For many it’s a story that’s not true.
How then might it be true in our lives?
What might it be about our lives
that seeing them would make people believe
that Christ has indeed been raised?
Maybe to trust love. To care fearlessly.
To risk for the sake of justice and mercy.
To trust God’s presence in suffering and bewilderment.
Nothing heroic, just trusting
in God’s presence and power
in us and around and beneath and among us.
Maybe if some poor Thomas can sense
how the wounds of love have given us life,
how through our failures and powerlessness
mercy and justice are still alive in us,
how they themselves are embraced and forgiven,
in that moment, as if never before,
Christ would be raised from the dead.