Portland Covenant Church

Rev. Lynette Sanchez joins us this Sunday with Taking Root in Your Story, a sermon drawn from Jacob’s night of wrestling in Genesis 32:22–32. She invites us to see how God can transform our hardest moments into places of blessing, identity, and rooted faith.

Join us this Sunday as Pastor Kim continues our Neighbor-to-Neighbor sermon series. She’ll be preaching from Acts 17:16–34 and Acts 1:8, exploring how the early church shared the good news of Jesus with wisdom, courage, and deep love for their neighbors. Together we’ll reflect on what it means to share Christ in our own city — listening well, offering hospitality, and trusting the Spirit to guide every conversation.

Jesus connected with his disciples by showing up in their daily lives - walking along the Emmaus Road, meeting them in a moment of fear, making them breakfast and such. We are neighbors to one another when we show up in each other's daily lives. One of the best ways to connect with those around is through a shared meal. Join us this week as we consider what it means to show the love of Christ to our neighbors with our whole lives.

Join us this Sunday as we continue our 5-week sermon series, Neighbor to Neighbor. Pastor Kim will preach from Acts 6:1–7, exploring how the early church learned to listen to the needs within their community. Together we’ll consider what it means to hear our neighbors with compassion and respond in Christlike love.

Join us this Sunday - Pastor Kim Crawford will preach from John 20:19–31 and Psalm 16, inviting us to consider what it means to live as people shaped by resurrection hope. From the disciples receiving Christ’s peace behind locked doors to the psalmist’s confident trust in God’s presence, we’re reminded that the risen Jesus meets us in our fear, steadies our steps, and leads us into joy. Join us as we explore how resurrection transforms our everyday lives.

Reflection by Pastor Kim Crawford

Colossians 3:1-4
3 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

John 20:17-18
17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

Leaving the Tomb

It’s the week after Easter and all of the jellybeans are gone. The chocolate rabbit is down to just one foot. The celebration is over and where are we? What do we do after the resurrection?

In the Gospel of John, Mary sits weeping at the tomb, devastated by the loss of Jesus and perplexed by the absence of his body. When Jesus appears to Mary, he calls her by name and sends her out to tell the others. It is important to note that he does NOT say, “stay here at the tomb and wait for others to find you.” Mary is sent out, back to profess what she has seen and to live in the world.

Our Easter celebration also does not stay at the tomb. We are not called to sit and wait at the empty tomb, hoping others will find us there. We are called to go and tell others about our encounters with God, our faith in Jesus, and how we have seen the Lord at work in our lives.

What does this look like? Our first step of faith is to confess our sins and profess our need for new life in Christ. From that first moment of new life, we “set our hearts on things above” as the book of Colossians says. We live a life raised with Christ and in fellowship with God, our Father. We live a life following the example of Jesus - sacrificial love for our neighbors. We pray for the Holy Spirit to convict us of our sins and the places where we have wronged God and harmed our neighbors. We open our eyes to God’s work in our lives - day after day, year after year.

Easter celebration is a decision to take a step of faith, to begin a relationship with God and to pursue an on-going call proclaiming “I have seen the Lord!”