A Lenten/Easter Message from the Pastor

March 26, 2026

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As we journey to the cross during this Lenten season, we are nearing the holiest of holy days in the church calendar. We are approaching Holy Week, the most sacred week in Christianity, beginning Palm Sunday and leading to Holy Saturday, leading into Easter.

We commemorate the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Holy Week includes the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, taking place on Palm Sunday, the Last Supper on Holy Thursday, the Crucifixion on Good Friday, and the burial leading to the Resurrection of our Lord.

During the season of Lent, as many of us practice fasting and abstinence, prayer and reflection, and almsgiving, we have been able to nurture our hearts and minds, centering ourselves in the word of God and sacraments. We seek wisdom and guidance, transforming our mind and spirit, seeking comfort, and allowing ourselves to be free to grow in faith.

The Word of God is the Word of Life. The Word of God teaches, reveals God, and centers us on the gospels of Jesus. It teaches us that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, highlighting the Good News that Jesus died for us. It provides wisdom and guidance, transforms our mind and Spirit, frees and comforts us, allowing us to grow in faith.

We remember our baptism as our identity as a beloved child of God, as we are forgiven of our sins and the grace to walk in newness of life. We are nurtured at the table of the lord as we are reminded of Jesus’ sacrificial death, broken body, and blood shed for the forgiveness of sins. The body and blood of Christ, given for you, serve as a tangible act of remembrance, covenant renewal, and proclamation of the gospel, uniting us in faith.

We pray as a reminder that God is in control, loving, and present while we depend on God. It grounds us as believers, fostering a relationship with God, offering us peace, and providing guidance. And we give alms as we live with compassion and generosity, strengthening our love for God and one another.

This Lenten season, as we are reminded of the mortal human beings we are, we remain focused on the cross, focused on what Jesus will do for us, and we will look to Jesus for redemption, grace, and eternal life.

All glory, laud, and honor to you, redeemer, king, to whom the lips of children made sweet hosannas ring. The time has come, my beloved siblings in Christ, to journey to the cross.

This Holy Week, as we journey to the cross with Jesus, the Son of God or King of Kings, I ask you to keep these four words in your hearts and minds: Come, See, Go, and Tell.

You will hear these same words on Easter Day from the angel who appears at the empty tomb as He speaks to Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James and Joseph. They have walked the journey with Jesus. You have walked the journey with Jesus. The three of you have witnessed the humility and divine power of Jesus as he fulfills his promise given for you.

As the days come and go during this Holy Week, as the Resurrection of our Lord opens our eyes to life eternal through the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord, may we be filled with faith, hope, and love as we come to pay our respects to the Lord. You will see that He has risen for you, and in awe, go forth in peace to tell others what you have witnessed, in the name of Jesus. Alleluia! Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia!

People of St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, we have much to celebrate. Jesus has won the victory over sin and death; Jesus is the Son of God given for you, as you are promised eternal life. Through Him, and with Him and in Him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, for ever and ever. Amen.

Are you ready? Go forth exclaiming Alleluia! Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia!

A Blessed Easter and Easter Season,

Rev. Jonathan J. Recabarren, Pastor