On the Third Sunday of Easter, Rev. Dr. Charissa Clark Howe explores the familiar story of the Road to Emmaus in Luke 24:13–35 through the poetic framework of 19th-century Black and Indigenous activist Olivia Ward Bush-Banks. The fight against systemic injustice and the violence of the empire often leaves us carrying the heavy, traumatized weariness of modern-day martyrs, blinded to God's presence by our own grief.In this message, we examine how the resurrected Christ meets the defeated disciples exactly where they are—not with quick fixes or theological debates, but with pure presence and a listening ear. Furthermore, as the congregation celebrates the baptism of Austin Brown, this sermon highlights how the physical, communal solidarity of the sacraments serves as the ultimate antidote to our exhaustion. It is through the breaking of the bread and the waters of baptism that our trauma is reframed, our hearts are rekindled, and we are given the collective resilience to turn around and return to the messy work of liberation.

Original Poem can be found here: https://scalar.lehigh.edu/african-american-poetry-a-digital-anthology/olivia-ward-bush-banks-the-walk-to-emmaus-1899

On the Second Sunday of Easter, we usually point the finger at "Doubting Thomas" for his skepticism. But in this message exploring John 20:19–31, Rev. Dr. Charissa Clark Howe suggests taking Thomas off the hook and looking instead at the terrified disciples hiding behind dead-bolted doors. At a time when so many are walking away from the modern American church due to a disconnect between what is preached and what is practiced, we are challenged to stop cowering in our comfortable, safe silos. The greatest proof of the resurrection isn't an empty tomb, but a resilient, grassroots community that unlocks its doors, receives the peace of Christ, and steps out into the margins to offer radical compassion, inclusion, and solidarity to a hurting world.

On Easter morning, the empty tomb isn't the final destination—it’s the starting line. In this Easter message, Rev. Dr. Charissa Clark Howe explores the world-shaking events of Matthew 28:1–10 and the surprising instructions given to the terrified but joyful women at the grave.Instead of lingering at the site of the miracle or marching to the halls of power in Jerusalem, the resurrected Jesus immediately heads back to Galilee. He returns to the diverse, unpolished margins where his ministry of feeding and healing everyday people first began.Drawing on the reality of trauma and the biological rewiring of healing, this sermon examines how resurrection is not just a distant promise for the afterlife, but an immediate, present-day reality. It challenges the church to stop functioning as a museum guarding an empty tomb and instead look for the moments of healing and justice happening right now in our own modern-day Galilees. The good news is alive in the world, and Christ is already out there, waiting for us to catch up.