Looking into the lectionary - Breaking news about unification

Matthew 28:1-10 Easter Sunday April 5, 2026 The earth shakes on Easter morning. The Gospel of Matthew does not ease us into resurrection with birdsong and soft light. Matthew opens the story with the ground convulsing beneath the women’s feet. An angel descends like lightning. The stone groans as it rolls away. Guards collapse in fear. These seismic details are unique to Matthew’s resurrection narrative. Earthquakes appear at pivotal moments throughout this Gospel: Jerusalem trembles when Jesus enters on Palm Sunday, the earth quakes when Jesus dies on Good Friday, and again here on Easter morning. As Carol Prickett wrote in last week’s lectionary reflection, “Three times Matthew reminds us: God’s power can shake the whole world. God’s power can also remake it.” Matthew wants us not only to know but to feel that something has shifted in the foundations of reality. Before this morning, the rules of the world seemed painfully clear. Empires rise and crush their opponents. The struggle for justice falters and fails. Love blooms and breaks. And eventually death closes the curtain. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary come to the tomb expecting the world to behave the way it always has, expecting the certainty of death. They carry spices and sorrow, ready to perform the final act of love for the one they followed. Then the earth shakes and the angel speaks what was once impossible: “He is not here; for he has been raised.” The women leave the tomb, Matthew says, “with fear and great joy.” Joy, because Christ is alive. Fear, because if Christ is alive, everything is different, new, and disorienting. ... Read the rest of the commentary at pres-outlook.org. Want the worship resources for March 15, 2026? You can find them here.

Order of worship — April 5, 2026 by Teri McDowell Ott   Presbyterians urge Congress to oppose additional Iran war funding by Darla Carter PC(USA) names new unified agency: Presbyterian Life & Witness by Mike Ferguson Horizons — Jesus’s Baptism by Rosalind Banbury

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... The grief of closing a ministry — and the grace that follows What does it feel like when a ministry you love comes to an end? Karie Charlton reflects on grief, relief and the quiet work of trusting God in seasons of transition. When Grief Comes Home: A Gentle Guide for Living Through Loss While Supporting Your Child "When Grief Comes Home" is a tender and practical guide that helps grieving parents both care for themselves and support their children through loss. — Amy Pagliarella Grief that tells the truth Grief isn’t something to fix or silence. It’s a story that needs to be heard. Honoring our grief is part of the path toward healing and resurrection hope, writes Teri McDowell Ott. When “What can I do?” is too big a question In deep grief, broad offers of help can feel overwhelming, writes Deb Bergmann. Simple, ordinary companionship can help. The binaries of grief Heartache and wonder can coexist, writes Christopher Elwood. Reading the Bible on Turtle Island: An Invitation to North American Indigenous Interpretation What might Scripture reveal when read through Indigenous history and experience? Eric Garner reviews "Reading the Bible on Turtle Island." Why this pastor wears Converse sneakers to lead worship Josh Robinson’s choice to wear Converse sneakers in worship reveals how approachability, embodiment and ancient tradition can work together in pastoral care.

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WCC NEWS: WCC invites global ecumenical community to prayers for peace

The World Council of Churches (WCC) invites people and churches to join in global prayers for peace, starting with the Middle East on 26 March. The WCC invites people and churches all over the globe to join global prayer for peace in the Middle East. File Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 17 March 2026 In a world marked by growing conflict, suffering, and uncertainty, the WCC reaffirms its calling as a fellowship of churches to stand together in prayer for peace.  As part of this commitment, the WCC is initiating a series of global prayers for peace, to bring the worldwide ecumenical community into a shared rhythm of spiritual solidarity, intercession, and hope.  Rooted in faith and grounded in the conviction that prayer is both witness and action, the initiative reflects the vocation of the churches to accompany those who suffer and to uphold the dignity of all people. Middle East the focus of first global peace prayer The first focus of the global prayer initiative is on the Middle East, in light of ongoing war, the destruction of lives, and the deepening humanitarian suffering affecting communities across the region.  The Global Prayer for Peace in the Middle East will be held online on 26 March at 15:00 CET, inviting churches, congregations, and other people and partners around the world to join in a shared act of prayer across traditions and contexts. The moment of prayer responds directly to the voices of church leaders who have called for strengthened spiritual solidarity and accompaniment in this time of crisis.  Through the initiative, the global fellowship is invited not only to pray for those affected, but to pray with them—drawing from the spiritual traditions and lived faith of the churches of the region.  A common prayer resource will accompany the gathering, offering prayers from the Middle East to guide in shared moments of intercession and hope. The WCC invites all churches and people of goodwill to take part in this ongoing commitment to prayer, bearing witness together to a shared longing for peace, justice, and reconciliation. Attend the Global Prayer for Peace in the Middle East (26 March 15.00 CET) WCC hosts consultation with heads of churches in the Middle East Joint statement on widening conflict in the Middle East raises deep concerns for humanitarian and social impact Peacebuilding in the Middle East See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland

Revised Common Lectionary Readings for March 22, 2026

Revised Common Lectionary Readings (Three-Year Cycle)

Lectionary Readings for Sunday, March 22, 2026

First Reading Ezekiel 37:1-14 1The hand of the LORD came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. 3He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord GOD, you know.” 4Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. 5Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the LORD.” 7So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. 9Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” 10I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude. 11Then he said to me, “Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.’ 12Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. 14I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken and will act,” says the LORD. Psalm Psalm 130 1   Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD. 2        Lord, hear my voice!      Let your ears be attentive           to the voice of my supplications! 3   If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities,           Lord, who could stand? 4   But there is forgiveness with you,           so that you may be revered. 5   I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,           and in his word I hope; 6   my soul waits for the Lord           more than those who watch for the morning,           more than those who watch for the morning. 7   O Israel, hope in the LORD!           For with the LORD there is steadfast love,           and with him is great power to redeem. 8   It is he who will redeem Israel           from all its iniquities. Second Reading Romans 8:6-11 6To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law — indeed it cannot, 8and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you. Gospel John 11:1-45 1Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. 3So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 5Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, 6after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. 10But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.” 11After saying this, he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.” 12The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.” 13Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. 14Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” 17When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, 19and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. 20When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. 21Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” 23Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, 26and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.” 28When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. 30Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35Jesus began to weep. 36So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” 38Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” 40Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” 41So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. 42I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” 43When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” 45Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.

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Ministry Matters - A surprising gift for the Great Fifty Days

You've been preparing for Easter since Ash Wednesday. Maybe earlier, if we're honest. You've planned Holy Week services, coordinated volunteers, written sermons that hold both grief and hope, and somehow tried to maintain your own spiritual life while leading everyone else's. By Easter evening, you'll be depleted. And then you face fifty more days of resurrection preaching. What if this post-Easter season could be different? What if the Great Fifty Days became a source of renewal rather than another marathon to survive?

Starting the Tuesday before Easter (during Holy Week), join author and pastor Jim Harnish for a 7-week journey through the often-neglected season between Easter and Pentecost. "Great Days for Great Living" weaves together three strands: → The intimate resurrection stories - Mary at the tomb, Thomas's doubt, the Emmaus road, and the small, ordinary places where Jesus shows up → Harry Emerson Fosdick's WWII preaching - how a pastor preached hope during genuinely dangerous times → Your actual life in 2026 - political tensions, cultural anxiety, and the challenge of sustaining ministry when the world feels ghastly This isn't another program to add to your exhaustion. It's a companion for the journey. Each Tuesday during the Great Fifty Days brings a new reflection—about 1000 words, perfectly timed for your sermon prep for the following Sunday. You'll find: Insights you can borrow for your own preaching that Sunday Wisdom for your soul, not just techniques for your ministry Hope that's real rather than manufactured The series takes its title from a sermon Fosdick preached during World War II: "This is certainly a ghastly time to be alive. Nevertheless, this is a great time to be alive, and alike the personal and the public issues of it depend on whether we see that." Eighty years later, we still need that pastoral imagination—the ability to name what's ghastly while proclaiming what's great, to be present to people's real fears while pointing toward genuine hope. Here's what's coming, Easter Sunday through Ascension Day: Week 1 (Holy Week): A Ghastly and a Great Time to Be Alive Mary weeps at an empty tomb. Week 2: No Dry-As-Dust Religion Will Do Now Thomas and the gift of honest doubt  Week 3: Starting With Trouble and Ending with Hope "We had hoped..." - the Emmaus Road journey  Week 4: Why Is God Silent While Evil Rages? When God's power is quiet and evil is loud  Week 5: The Light That No Darkness Can Put Out Enduring hope in dangerous times  Week 6: Taking Jesus Seriously Discipleship vs. admiration  Week 7: Christianity Not A Form But A Force Preparing for Pentecost power  FOLLOW THE SERIES HERE You're not alone in the Easter-to-Pentecost stretch. The resurrection didn't end on Easter morning. Neither does our proclamation of it. Let's walk these fifty days together. Grace and peace, The MinistryMatters Team   P.S. - Know a colleague who's dreading post-Easter preaching? Forward this email. We're all in this together.