April 2026
Hi, Everybody,
It’s April, and I’m excited about what this month holds for us. For starters, we begin with Holy Week, and that holds two special services of worship. On Maundy Thursday, we will welcome the Gothenburg congregation here in Cozad. Their choir will be singing, we will remember our Lord’s last night on earth with his disciples, and we will celebrate the sacrament of communion. Then on Good Friday, we will continue our worship in Gothenburg as we remember our Lord’s suffering and what that means for all of us.
On Easter Sunday, we will, of course, celebrate the resurrection, and we are also going to baptize and welcome a new sister in Christ into the family – Maeve Louise Vap. Maeve is the great-granddaughter of the late Steve and Doris Andersen, and their legacy of love lives on in their beautiful grandchildren. It will be a very special day, and I hope you will join us for all that we have to celebrate. On that particular Sunday, my sermon will focus on Mary Magdalene and the significance of her being the first witness to share the good news of Christ’s resurrection.
The following week, we will begin a series that looks at Christ’s post-resurrection appearances, and they will help us think about how we can draw closer to him and one another. They will also lay the groundwork for our Presbyterian Women’s breakfast in May, at which we will be invited to share a special memory. Each person will be asked to bring one item (yes – only one!) and share why it is special. It might be an object, like the stool I used for my tap dance recital when I was five years old. The routine was set to the song, “I’m gonna sit right down and write myself a letter…” and my dad made that stool for me for that recital. I still have it and cherish it today. What you bring could be something like that, or it could be a letter, or a picture, or perhaps a special recipe. Whatever you have to share, we would love to hear about it. You are part of our family, and we want to hear about what is meaningful to you. So, Presbyterian women, spouses, or guests, please plan to join us on May 7th and bring something to share. We are connected in faith through our stories, and your story matters. Please think about the possibilities and plan to come and share with us in May. Oh, and be sure to RSVP so we know you’ll be there.
In the meantime, the month of April, Holy Week, and the seasons of spring and Easter stand before us. Do you know how you want to spend them? As for me, I hope to spring clean and get rid of some stuff I don’t use; I hope to worship our risen Lord with all of you; and I hope to see his presence in our lives and in this community. Christ is risen, everyone! Join me in celebrating that good news.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Jill