THE RISING OF THE SON: Resurrection Sunday 2026

tanikkasheppard
5 days ago
2 min read

Early in the morning, while it was still dark, Mary made her way to the tomb. She went alongside other women, carrying spices they had prepared to anoint the body of Jesus. They were ready to faithfully honor Him in death through the sacred burial customs of their people, and wondered among themselves who would roll the stone away.

Mary, in particular, carried a deep grief and the weight of a world that seemed to have crushed her spirit. Upon finding an empty tomb, she wept and fretted with new worries, not yet realizing that Jesus had already risen.

How often are we like Mary? We show up faithfully worshipping and serving... and yet we still worry and wonder how things will work out. Sometimes the very thing that triggers our fears is actually the greatest invitation to deeper faith. What feels like a sad ending is often God setting the stage for a new beginning.

As we watch what is happening in our city, state, nation, and world, let us remember that we are not the first followers of Jesus to walk through hard times. Mary experienced sorrow. Peter experienced failure. Thomas experienced doubt. Yet the risen Christ met each of them right where they were and restored their faith. The rising of the Son can do the same for us today, meeting us in our sorrow, our failures, and our doubts, and giving us renewed strength.

I pray that on this Resurrection Sunday, we embrace this Good News: the same God and the same power that raised Jesus from the dead live in us today (Romans 8:11; Ephesians 1:19–20). We are more powerful than we think. Jesus kept His promise, and when He rose, others rose with Him (Matthew 27:52–53). We are called to do the same.

So let us rise together in faith, love, and hope.

Let us rise in faith when fear tries to silence us.
Let us rise in love when hatred tries to divide us.
Let us rise in hope when despair tries to bury us under endless pursuits and problems.

Let us lift one another up throughout Greater Cleveland, sparking courage, joy, and new possibilities in every community we touch.

This morning, as I watch the rising of the sun, I pray that we never lose heart and that we hold fast to the hope that from the rising of the Son, we too shall rise!

Happy Resurrection Sunday!