Easter at HCC

Good Friday, April 18, 2025 at 7:00pm

Jesus didn’t have to do what he did, you know. The only required act for the redemption of humankind was the shedding of his blood. Yet he did so much more. Gave so much more. Look around the cross and what do we find? The twisted crown of thorns, the piercing points of nails, a wine-soaked sponge, a sign written in 3 languages, 2 crosses beside the one on which Jesus was crucified. Examine them together with us and as we do, we will be unwrapping gifts of grace in a way we have have missed altogether. And as we encounter them, as we pause and reflect, perchance we will hear him whisper, “I did it just for you.

Easter Morning, April 20, 2025 at 10:00am

It seems there may only one day in the last two thousand years when literally everyone in the world believed Jesus was dead – it was the Saturday after his crucifixion. Saturday is the day after that but the day before this. Everybody knows Saturday – it’s the day we seem lost or directionless or hopeless. But Jesus’ story is a “third day” story – and so can ours be. One of the unique aspects of following Jesus is that it seems to rise and fall on one particular event in one moment on one day in history – the day of Jesus’ resurrection. If the resurrection did not happen, then everything followers of Jesus believe falls apart. If the resurrection did happen, maybe (just maybe) the world was indeed created by a great God who intends to redeem sin and restore relationship with humankind.

The resurrection is a story of redemption and redemption is the story of the resurrection.