Greetings in the name of our Savior whose victory over death reminds us of why we are Christians. Easter bids us to look anew at the manifestation of God’s unexpected earthshaking interventions…destruction bringing forth creation…death ushering in new life.…light pushing out darkness. Just when we believe we have everything figured out, God surprises us in fresh and bedazzling ways.
The initial Holy Week illustrates that paradox in magnificent form. During that crucial period, Jesus was seen (1) as David’s heir, (2) as religion’s traitor, (3) as rebel troublemaker, (4) as conquering hero, (5) as militant Messiah, and to a few—like Mary bathing his feet with perfume—as the Son of the Living God sent to redeem us from our sin-sick existence. Even so, even Mary did not expect the cataclysmic explosion God was preparing.
We still don’t. Our cultural constructs limit the power of our Resurrected Lord. Faith is often constrained in familiar patterns giving comfort with religious practices that cost little time or effort. We make church the center of our witness and social accommodation, hoping that God is satisfied with weekly nods to His greatness and our meager expressions of “cheap” grace (Bonhoeffer, D. 1937, The Cost of Discipleship) even as we know we should do better.
How to break free from our inbred restraints is a conversation the three of us make regularly. We ask ourselves, “how do we move beyond the old ideas that blind us to what God is asking?” “Where is the Holy Spirit taking us?” “How can we better equip the local churches to answer the call for a more abundant harvest?” “What inspiration is required to dislodge congregants’ comfort of the pew into sharing the gospel?” “How, in other words, do we move from ‘To Come and See [in churches]’ to ‘Go and Tell,’ [across the globe]”? (Hiltibran, R. December 23, 2025, Firebrand). These are issues that are on the table for our 2026 Annual Conference.
In the meantime, we are aware that this is only a beginning. Our Conference Lay Leader trio is under no illusion that we have all the answers. Like you, our hope remains in a Savior who works in our ignorance and weakness, a Lord who loves us enough to bless our meager efforts on His behalf, and a God who takes us into unexpected corridors of revelation and power for our sake.
Happy Resurrection!
Mr. Oscar Garza | Eastern Texas
Dr. Sarah Kreutziger | Louisiana
Mr. Carl Brothers | Arkansas
