April 12, 2026
Dear friends in Christ grace and peace to you. The message for this week comes from
1 Peter 1:3-9.
As we journeyed through Holy Week, we watched as Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, shared in the Last Supper with him, witnessed him being tried unjustly, brutally beaten, and hung on a cross like some criminal to die a lonely, excruciating death. We saw his body placed in a tomb that was sealed. And then we heard the wonderful news that Jesus had risen from the dead and had appeared to Mary on Easter morning. We gathered in worship on Easter morning to sing songs of praise and to rejoice in Jesus’ resurrection. Now what? What do we do now? We’ve paid our homage to the risen Christ; where do we go from here? Does life go on as it always did as if nothing significant has happened? Are the events of the past week a distant memory for us? Are we so caught up in what’s happening in our own lives, in the nation and in the world that we have already put the events of the past week behind us? Instead of being hopeful are we a people who flip each other off, cut each other off, and walk around with a scowl on our faces?
Martin Luther went through a phase like that once. His wife, Katie, devised a plan. She came down the stairs one day wearing all black and looking sorrowful. He asked her, “Who died?” She said, “God did.” Luther said, “Silly woman, God did not die.” Katie responded, “Oh, I thought by the way you were acting that he had.” She wanted to remind Martin that Jesus still lived. There was still hope. And I think that’s Peter’s point in our text for this week. No matter how bad life may get, there is still hope because we have the assurance that Jesus died for the sins of the world, and that Jesus died for us, and that God accepted His sacrifice. Because of what Jesus did for us there is more certainty to life than death and taxes; there is hope of eternal life. It’s this promise that has given us spiritual life and hope in this world of something that is permanent. Jesus once said, “Because I live, you also will live. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.”
Easter is not a one and done event. Easter has lasting consequences; good consequences. Easter give us hope in a world that desperately needs something and someone good to hope in. Our hope is in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our hope of eternal life, our hope that all the oppressed, wrongly imprisoned, wrongly persecuted and shunned will know Jesus’ love and be made whole again in the presence of our loving Savior Jesus Christ.
May the peace of God be with all of you as you continue to live in the joy of the Jesus’ resurrection hope.
Michael Isaacson
April 5, 2026
Dear friends in Christ grace and peace to you. The message for this week comes from our synod Bishop Martin Halom.
To the beloved of the NWSWI,
Happy Easter to you as we celebrate the most sacred day of the year when Jesus squarely looked death in the face and overcame the grave! When I think about what that says about our God, I am continually overwhelmed by feelings of gratitude because of the sheer depth of God’s love. To think about what Jesus went through in those final days, it is simply the best illustration of what God’s grace looks like – a gift to us as individuals and as a family of faith – all without merit.
While on a Civil Rights pilgrimage last month, I found myself quite perplexed when listening to the central message of many civil rights leaders, including many that I met in person. While visiting Birmingham, I worshiped at the 16th St. Baptist Church, which was bombed on a Sunday morning just before worship on Sept. 15, 1963. Four young women (all teens) died in the blast as they were preparing to serve in the youth led service. As our group heard about the story in the tour the day before our worship, this central message was proclaimed – love. Later that day we spent time with another black leader in the city whose ancestors were also victims of white supremacy. She too acknowledged the central message that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. taught over and over in his messages – a message of love, even for your enemies.
That struck me. When victims of oppression look at their oppressors and can maintain a posture of love in hopes that the hatred they’ve experienced would someday be extinguished, I could only think about the depths of God’s love. While most of us would at minimum defend ourselves from the oppressive actions taken against them, if not fight back and seek retribution, they instead turned to love and forgiveness. It is their faith in God that could give them the strength to practice love.
We still live in a world where hatred and prejudice exist. But the story of Easter is rooted in love. Jesus went to the cross after praying in the garden of Gethsemane, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me, yet not my will but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42) Your will be done. This is true sacrifice rooted in love for humankind. This is love revealed to broken and sinful people. This is a love for us all – no exception.
As we celebrate the day Christ rose from the dead, offering forgiveness to all humankind, let us rejoice in acts of love. Let us respond to God’s gift of grace through acts of love!
