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.

When confronted with the terrifying realities of the world, our deeply human instinct is to either scatter into isolation or draw our swords to fight. Yet, the cross calls us to an entirely different response.Preached during a joint Good Friday worship service with Church of the Redeemer, Rev. Dr. Charissa Clark Howe explores the tragedy of human isolation and the radical, non-anxious presence of Jesus. Grounded in the passion narrative of John 18:1–19:37 and the call to communal solidarity found in Hebrews 10:16–25, this message challenges us to resist a culture of fear that conditions us to lash out or retreat into silos.Rather than meeting the world's hostility with our own violence, we are invited to drop our ideological weapons and stand at the cross together. Choosing to gather, sit in the dark together, and hold onto one another in a stripped-bare sanctuary becomes a profound act of spiritual defiance—a testament that human solidarity and God's love are always stronger forces than division and fear.

Does it feel like you're living in a brewing storm right now? We are caught in a clash of temperatures—between the profound hope of seeing "real church work" happen and the exhausting, terrifying realities of a violent world pressing in. That same heavy, electric tension filled the air in Jerusalem on the very first Palm Sunday. In this week's message, Rev. Dr. Charissa Clark Howe takes us into the dusty streets of a city under occupation, where the people are desperate for a spark to rescue them. But Jesus completely upends their expectations. Instead of arriving on a warhorse to match the empire's violence, he stages a piece of subversive "street theater" on a humble, borrowed donkey, showing us a profoundly different sort of King.

Hit play to discover how the good news of this messy, grassroots parade challenges our own desires for control and inspires us to act. If you are ready to step into the storm and walk through the gates of righteousness together, this message is for you.

Please subscribe and share this episode with someone who needs a reminder of God's steadfast refuge! (Scriptures: Mark 11:1-11 & Psalm 118)

Is a heavy stone of judgment or a deep resentment weighing you down? In a world filled with hostility, cancel culture, and sharp disagreements, it’s incredibly tempting to grip our stones tightly and use our "rightness" as a weapon.Join Rev. Dr. Charissa Clark Howe as we step into the tense, loud temple courtyard of John 8, where a self-righteous crowd has weaponized the law against a vulnerable woman. Noticeably absent from this patriarchal trap? The man involved. Yet, instead of matching the mob's aggressive energy or treating the woman as collateral damage, Jesus utilizes a profound de-escalation tactic that changes everything.Discover why the "weightier matters" of justice, mercy, and faithfulness (Matthew 23:23) require us to confront our own hypocrisy and let go of our moral superiority. If you are exhausted by the world's hostility and want to learn how to build bridges instead of bonfires, this message offers the liberating relief of standing before God with empty hands.Hit play to explore the scandalous nature of unmerited grace! If this message resonates with you, please subscribe and share it with a friend who could use a reminder that God's mercy is for everyone.(Scriptures: John 8:2-11 & Matthew 23:23)

If you grew up in Sunday School, you might picture Jesus blessing the children as a sweet, sentimental moment. But in the first-century world, children occupied one of the absolute lowest rungs of social status. In this week's episode, Rev. Dr. Charissa Clark Howe explores how Jesus’ command to “let the children come” wasn't just about childhood innocence—it was a radical, political demand to center the powerless.The children in this Gospel story serve as a metaphor for the migrant worker, the immigrant, the unhoused, the undocumented, and anyone whom the empire finds undesirable. Drawing on God's laws for the harvest in Deuteronomy 24, we are reminded of the command to leave the gleanings of our fields for the vulnerable. God demands this justice not out of pity, but out of a shared vulnerability, constantly repeating the refrain: "Remember that you were a slave in Egypt".In a modern society obsessed with extracting every ounce of profit and "stripping the vines bare," how can the church stop acting as gatekeepers? Tune in to hear how we are called to be a disruptive, "scrappy" sanctuary and a refuge of radical welcome for all people. Scriptures: Matthew 19:13-15 & Deuteronomy 24:17-22

It has been a heavy week. When we are confronted with horrifying headlines, global crises, and the escalating realities of war, our first human instinct is often to retreat, pull the covers over our heads, and tell the overwhelming crowds of the world to fend for themselves.In this week's episode, Rev. Dr. Charissa Clark Howe acknowledges our deep exhaustion and looks to the Feeding of the 5,000 in Mark 6 for a radically different response. We explore the stark contrast between the "math of empire"—a myth of scarcity that claims we can't afford to care for the vulnerable while miraculously finding limitless resources for bombs—and God’s economy of ridiculous abundance.We are not expected to fix massive, systemic nightmares single-handedly. Tune in to discover how we can resist the empire's violence and practice "active hope" simply by bringing our own meager "loaves and fishes" to the community.Scriptures: Mark 6:32-44 & Ephesians 3:20-21