Father Joseph Lucas
Christ the Saviour Orthodox Cathedral
It was on the eve of Passover, nearly two millennia ago, that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified out- side the walls of Jerusalem.
Later that day as his body was entombed, his disciples mourned his death. They assumed that this was the end of their journey with him.
But on the third day, a miracle occurred: Jesus rose from the dead, revealing to them that he is indeed the Messiah and Son of God.
He had passed over from death to life, making a way for his disciples to follow him into eternity.
As we remember this wondrous event on Easter, may each of us experience the light of the Risen Lord.
Rev. Flavio Montes
Parish Administrator Our Lady of the Lakes Catholic Church
I share with you this great joy: Christ is risen! He is truly risen!
The Catholic community of Our Lady of the Lakes sends you a friendly and renewed Easter greeting!
Resurrection Sunday, or Easter Sunday, is the most important holiday for all Christians since the resurrection of Jesus is the fundamental reason for our faith.
We joyfully celebrate Christ’s triumph over sin and death, thus opening the door to reconciliation and eternal life.
In times of so many trials such as those we have been living for more than a year, Jesus extends his love and
his resurrection to us to begin again, to close the door to our selfishness and excessive ambitions, to our fears and lack of faith in him, to our hatreds, to our way of judging others, to give way to truth, to forgiveness and to reconciliation, to true justice and love.
This time offers us the opportunity to renew our
life in God as we renew our baptismal commitment to live in the light of the Savior and redeemer of the world.
May the resurrection of Christ help us all to value and defend life in all its stages. He is Lord and giver of life. May he continue to guide and protect everyone.
Many blessings to all.
Happy and joyful Easter Sunday, and endless blessings during these fifty days of Easter!
Pastor Al Pino
Palm Vista Community Church
Easter is a time for hope: Hope for a fresh start, hope for justice, hope for peace, hope for reconciliation, hope for forgiveness, hope for life from the dead, hope that all that is wrong in this world will be made right.
As Christians we believe that hope is rooted in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead for in that one act, God reversed the curse of sin and death and gave us hope that one day all that is wrong in this world will be made right.
There are two phrases associated with the death and resurrection of Christ during this Easter week. The first phrase, “It is finished,” was uttered by Christ with his
last breath on the cross. It speaks of the reconciliation between God and his people won by Christ by taking the punishment for the sins of his people.
The second phrase, “Peace be with you,” was spoken by Christ over his disciples on Easter evening. It speaks of the peace and life God’s people have with him through the resurrected Lord Jesus.
May the Lord grant you his peace in Christ this Easter season.
We would love to celebrate that peace during our Easter service at 10:30 a.m., either online or in person. Please log into our web site for more details, www.palmvista.org.
The Rev. John F. Stanton
The Church of the Epiphany Episcopal
After Jesus’ crucifixion, Jesus’ disciples, fearing the same death, locked them- selves in a house and waited to see what would happen next.
As they waited, Jesus appeared and to their astonishment, cried, “Shalom!” (Peace!).
Jesus proceeded to show them his wounded hands and side.
John, in his Gospel 20:19- 23, tells us that Jesus greeted them again, with “Shalom!”
Jesus’ greeting was not the peace of a warm day. It was the peace of victory won. This is the hardest thing to under- stand about Good Friday.
I have been asked again and again, ‘What is good about Good Friday when they killed Jesus?’
The answer is always the same. The victory over sin and death was won on the cross where Jesus gave himself away in love.
The Resurrection was the celebration! The Resurrection was the party! Jesus lives!
As the Easter hymn declares, “Because he lives, I can face tomorrow. Because he lives, all fear is gone. Because I know he holds the future.
“And life is worth the living, just because he lives.”
Pastor Danny Leidy
Associate/Worship Pastor New Dawn Church
Beauty from ashes. Dark- ness to light. Hope over fear.
These are just a few of many phrases that have rang in our ears over the last year or so and while they can pro- vide some comfort, they do very little to provide real hope in our lives.
Whether we are talking about the COVID pandemic that has plagued our world in the last year or the heat of the political climate that has been rising or even the social war many of us find ourselves in, we are all looking for some- thing in our lives to bring us some kind of hope.
Here at New Dawn Church, we are looking to not only talk about the resurrection of Jesus this Easter, but we are working to create a church service that reminds people that in Jesus, there is hope.
Jesus calms our fears, eases our doubts and brings comfort even in the darkest of times.
We are theming our
Easter service after the song, “Graves Into Gardens” to remind us that Jesus can take what is dead and bring it to life.
He can take the ashes of what seems like a wasted life and make it into something beautiful.
That’s what Easter is all about. Because Jesus was resurrected, our lives can be resurrected and be used by God to bring comfort, joy and peace not only to ourselves, but to others.
We would love for you to join us as we bring community together for a great service, but we also want to bless you.
Lunch, Easter egg hunts and free gifts are just a few of the things you can expect when you visit us this Easter.
We are having a Spanish/ English bilingual service at 10 a.m. at 17200 NW 87th Ave. on Easter Sunday.
We invite you to bring
a friend, an appetite and let your heart be encouraged during these difficult times.
We will be saving a seat for you and yours!
May God bless you abundantly. For more information, please visit newdawnchurch.miami.