03/28/2026
Holy Week Message from the Bishop:
Beloved servants of Christ: pastors, deacons, musicians, and all who will lead, and all who will walk this holy way,
Grace and peace to you as we enter the most sacred days of our life together.
You are carrying a profound trust this week. With your voices, your hands, your prayers, your preparation, and your presence, you will help God’s people walk the story that shapes us: the story of love poured out, of truth spoken in the face of power, of suffering embraced, and of life that will not be extinguished.
Holy Week begins not quietly, but with a parade, a procession that is both praise and protest. Palms are lifted, voices cry out “Hosanna,” and yet beneath the joy is a deeper truth: this is a march toward the cross. It is a witness against the powers of this world that trade in violence, exclusion, and fear. It is the way of Jesus, who refuses to turn away from the suffering of the world and instead walks straight into it with love.
And so you will lead God’s people:
into the tension of the upper room,
into the loneliness of the garden,
into the injustice of the trial,
into the silence of the tomb.
You will hold vigil when others turn away.
You will give voice to lament in a world that often rushes past grief.
You will stand at the cross and dare to proclaim that even here, especially here: God is at work.
This is holy labor.
And yet, you do not carry this alone.
The One who calls you is already ahead of you, in the breaking of bread, in the washing of feet, in the cry of abandonment, and in the stillness of the grave. Christ meets you in every hymn you lead, every word you proclaim, every silence you keep.
To all who will walk this Holy Week: come honestly. Bring your doubts, your weariness, your hope, your longing. This is not a performance; it is a pilgrimage. Together, we walk the long road through death, not to dwell there, but because we trust what God has promised.
For we know how this story unfolds.
Even as we kneel at the cross,
even as we keep watch in the darkness,
we hold fast to the truth that death is not the final word.
God’s final word is life.
God’s final word is resurrection.
God’s final word is love that cannot be defeated.
May you be strengthened for this calling. May your spirits be renewed even as you pour yourselves out. And may you, along with all the faithful, be surprised again by the power of Easter morning.
Christ walks this road with you, and Christ will meet you in the dawn.
In prayer and hope,
and in the promise of resurrection,
+The Rev. Dr. Kevin L. Strickland, Bishop
