May 17, 2026
The Seventh Sunday of Easter – Mark S. Winward
The Strength of the In-Between
Jesus said, “…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” – Acts 1:8
“But, but…and there goes.” Now what?
If you have ever been in an ongoing crisis or known the struggle of a terminal disease, you’re all too familiar with that “in-between” place. It is the space that lies between our current reality and the uncertainty of the future. During those times, the small things we used to worry about suddenly seem petty, and life takes on a whole new meaning. I want to suggest to you that character is generally not made in the heat of crisis; rather, it is in those in-between places that character is grown.
The Forge of the Mundane
We are often inspired by those who face crises with clarity, grace, or courage. We admire the person who bears a devastating illness with poise, the advocate who stands resolute against injustice, or the hero who risks their life for another. But before any of these individuals faced the moments that would define them, their character was forged in the mundane moments of life—the quiet hours spent waiting for a time of testing.
Alfred Hitchcock famously said that movies are “life with the dull bits cut out.” We tend to view our own lives like films,
May 14, 2026
Ascension Day – Mark S. Winward
The Ascension: From Observers to Apostles
Today, we celebrate the glorious Ascension of our Lord. Although we confess Jesus’ Ascension every Sunday in the Nicene Creed—”He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father”—the event is often misunderstood. In truth, the Ascension is the capstone of Jesus’ incarnation, death, and resurrection. Without Christmas, there could be no incarnation. Without Easter, the cross would be a meaningless martyrdom. And without the Ascension, Easter would be a victory without its final note of triumph. At the Ascension—following Jesus’ fierce battle with death and his victorious resurrection—Christ the King takes his rightful throne to rule his people forever.
But things will never be the same for Jesus’ disciples, no matter how much they might long for things to go back to the way they were. Have you ever noticed that after this point, the disciples are called “apostles”? They are no longer merely followers of a teacher. The word apostle comes from the Greek apostolos, literally meaning “those sent out with a mission.” With Jesus no longer physically present among them, they are commissioned as ambassadors of the risen and enthroned Christ.
Still, it must have been a frightening time. Times of change always are. Their teacher of three years was gone, leaving them with a commission to share his message throughout the entire world. This band of poor,
May 10, 2026
The Sixth Sunday of Easter – Mark S. Winward
Mother’s Day
In the name of God the Creator, God the Redeemer, and God who sanctifies our souls. Amen.
The Dilemma of Mother’s Day
Happy Mother’s Day, ladies! You know, Mother’s Day is one of those occasions that leaves preachers in a quandary. First, with our still being in the Easter season, our focus remains rightly on the glorious resurrection of our Lord. Second, a service centered wholly on Mother’s Day runs the danger of sinking into a kind of sentimentalism that might ignore the very real wounds many of you may carry. For some, motherhood was an accident and not always a welcome one; for others, biological motherhood isn’t possible. For some, their mothers weren’t all that kind, and for others, even under the very best of circumstances, motherhood is still less than a bed of roses or a primrose path.
An Earthly Representation of Divine Love
So, with all those qualifications, why even bother with Mother’s Day? We do so because, in the words of poet Wilhelm Busch, “To become a mother is not so difficult; on the other hand, being a mother is very much so!” Mother’s Day celebrates a beautiful ideal. Amidst all its stumbling blocks, pitfalls, and broken dreams—amidst the soiled diapers, stained wallpaper, and spoiled plans—we see an earthly representation of God’s love and care for us. Like God’s love,
May 3, 2026
The Fifth Sunday of Easter – Mark S. Winward
Really: Jesus as “The Way, the Truth, and the Life”?
Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also.” For many people in the 21st century, putting your faith in Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense. Not only do most people misunderstand what faith is all about, but it often seems like a waste of time. But people are broad-minded nowadays. They often say, “It doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you are sincere,” or “You have your truth and I have my truth.” Of course, everyone is entitled to their own belief. But in the end, we live in a real world, and our personal perception of reality will always be proven either true or untrue. C.S. Lewis wrote, “Christianity is a statement which, if false, is of no importance, and, if true, is of infinite importance. The one thing it cannot be is moderately important.” In other words, what we are doing here every Sunday is either a colossal waste of time or the most important thing we will ever do in our lives. The question in the Church is increasingly becoming: “Which faith?”
How We Approach Scripture and Tradition
It seems to me it boils down to how we approach Scripture and the traditions that have shaped our understanding of our faith.