From the Pastor's Desk
April 2026
Recently, while I was drinking my morning coffee, a reel on my Facebook feed captured my attention. It was posted by a Lutheran church in Minneapolis that had invited members of the congregation to share testimony during the season of Lent about where they have experienced the intersection of brutality and kindness. It was curious because I had just preached on Nicodemus and reflected on how his spiritual growth led him to compassionately attend to Jesus in the aftermath of his crucifixion. As I write, we are approaching Holy Week where we revisit the central sacred story of our faith where cruelty and kindness are on full display.
Reese, the young man offering his testimony shared moving stories of how he had been present to his neighbors during the recent ICE surge in his city. Thousands of people shared simple acts of kindness and generosity that most of us never heard about. One Sunday morning he gathered with other volunteers before he went to church to peacefully observe the activity in their neighborhood. The volunteers do not interfere with ICE procedures, however, in the event someone is taken into custody, there is often another person left behind who is traumatized by witnessing what their loved one has experienced. They do not always know where the person has been taken or what to do next.
Reese and another volunteer were called to a street in the vicinity to meet a companion of someone who had just been taken in. When neighbors on this street witnessed the commotion in front of their home, they invited Reese and those with him to come inside to catch their breath and discern what to do next. The family offered them a place at their breakfast table with their two young boys where they shared waffles, fresh fruit and comfort. As the coffee flowed, they figured out how to proceed.
He shared another story of his assistance one night at a local bakery. He volunteered to help workers enter the bakery safely as they came to work late in the evening. People were frightened because they had witnessed neighbors who, regardless of their immigration status, had been detained. Volunteers monitored the door and let people in and out so that others in the bakery could continue working without interruption. A woman came out from the backroom to offer Reese something to eat. But not just something, she offered him warm sweet rolls she had just baked and urged him to take one for now and a few to bring home. The level of kindness and generosity was overwhelming.
This is just one example among thousands of similarly moving stories that reveals what has taken place in Minneapolis over the last several months. While the surge may be over, the need for merciful accompaniment continues, in Minneapolis and in communities throughout the country. The ways in which neighbors continue to support neighbors is touching. We likely do not hear these stories on the nightly news or the Fox News round up. That is why I am grateful for places like Trinity Lutheran church for their witness to the world. I am sure Reese's stories are just two of the hundreds of similar incidents of kindness and love that have been shared in communities throughout the country as we seek to love our neighbors deeply through these challenging times.
We are in the midst of Holy Week, preparing to celebrate Easter. We will remember how Jesus was put to death by crucifixion, an ancient form of state sanctioned brutality. We will remember the complicity of the religious leaders who watched this happen. We may feel the helplessness many people felt as they did not have the power to stop this from happening. We will also hear Jesus' acceptance that this his how it is supposed to be. Each time we celebrate Holy Week we relive the trauma that ensued for Jesus' disciples, family and community of believers who had come to love and trust Jesus. Some of whom understood that more than just a beloved rabbi, Jesus was truly the Messiah. As we remember, we enter into the pain this community suffered and the impact it had on their lives.
As the events unfolded, Jesus reminded the disciples that death did not have the final word. He would rise again into new life. We trust and believe in the resurrection. Perhaps there are even moments in our lives when we "practice resurrection" in the ways we show up for other people, put our lives in jeopardy to offer compassion and resist the powers of evil in the world so that all may live in the kingdom Jesus came to initiate. Reese's witness reminds me of the millions of people all over the world that respond to violence with compassion, understanding and grace. This is the world Jesus would have us build together. This is the embodiment of the resurrection he promises will transform the world. May it be so!
Peace,
Rev. Lynne
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