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We hope your Holy Week is off to a great start -- full of love, hope and inspiration.
Please join us tonight for our Good Friday Service at 7:00 p.m., our Holy Saturday Retreat with Fr. Dale tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. to noon, and one of our Easter Sunday Services at either 7:00 a.m. or 10:00 a.m. We invite you to spiritually take advantage of this most sacred time. .
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A Spiritual Reflection
for Your Weekend
by Henri Nouwen
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God Calls Us to Be Close
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People with power do not invite intimacy. We fear people with power. They can control us and force us to do what we don't want to do. We look up to people with power. They have what we do not have and can give or refuse to give, according to their will. We envy people with power. They can afford to go where we cannot go and do what we cannot do. But God's power is something entirely opposite. God does not want us to be afraid, distant, or envious. God wants to come close, very close, so close that we can rest in the intimacy of God as children in their mother's arms.
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Holy Week
@ PWC
Good Friday Service,
April 3 @ 7:00 p.m.
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Holy Saturday Retreat
This Saturday, April 4
from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
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What a wonderful way to prepare for Easter!
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Easter Sunday
April 5 @ PWC
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7:00 a.m. Sunrise Service, Outdoor.
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Mobile Petting Zoo
Easter Sunday, April 5
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Fun for the entire family: bunnies, goats, sheep, and a pony Have your photo taken with the Easter Bunny!!! 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
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No Children’s Ministry
Easter Sunday, April 5
Children’s Ministry will return April 12
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Please contact Helen Dipree for more information about the Children’s Ministry @ [email protected]
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Congratulations to Kerry Pardue
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Congratulations to our PWC member, Kerry Pardue, for being honored at the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. Kerry was presented with an award called “Service Beyond Service.” Kerry—we are so proud of you! Thank you for serving our country and all of us!
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Together in Hope:
Widows & Widowers
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Friday, April 10,
4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. @ PWC
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Tickets are on sale now during the week at the church office (please see Tami Heinl), or on Sundays.
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Mary Jo West,
Mother’s Day Speaker
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Sunday Morning Bible Study
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Sundays, April 12, 19, & 26
8:45 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
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Pastoral Counseling is available at PWC
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Fr. Mike Lessard is available for pastoral counseling on Wednesdays at PWC. Please call the church office to make an appointment at 480-649-0300.
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At PWC
your tithing & generosity allow us to minister to so many who come through our doors with their spiritual, emotional, and physical needs.
Thank you for your tithing and
commitment to PWC!
From pastoral counseling to grief support, to bible study and adult education, to providing food through Matthew’s Crossing for families who are economically struggling, to Marriage Enrichment and our funeral ministry -- your consistent giving makes a difference, a big change in people’s lives!
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Here are the different ways you can tithe to PWC:
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• Mail in your gift to: Praise and Worship Center, 2551 N. Arizona Avenue, Chandler, AZ 85225.
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• Sign up for monthly giving with a credit card or voided check. Just call the office at 480-649-0300 or stop by the office.
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Blood Pressure Checks take place at PWC on the first and third Sundays of the month
from 11:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
Our medical team is providing the blood pressure checks.
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Arrive to Sunday Service Prepared to Hear God’s Word Proclaimed
The reading for this Sunday, April 5, Easter Sunday is: Matthew 28:1-10.
Here is a reflection on the passage.
The Gospel from Gospel of Matthew 28:1–10 opens in darkness— “after the Sabbath, toward the dawn.” This detail is not accidental. The Resurrection does not begin in full daylight but in the fragile light of early morning. It reminds us God often begins His greatest works in moments that still feel uncertain, incomplete, even overshadowed by grief.
Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary” come to the tomb not expecting resurrection but carrying sorrow. Yet what they encounter is not death, but divine interruption: an earthquake, an angel, and an empty tomb. Theologically, this moment reveals a central truth of Christianity: God does not simply comfort us in death—He conquers it. The Resurrection is not symbolic; it is a real, transformative event that changes the structure of reality itself. Death is no longer the final word.
The angel’s message is striking: “He is not here, for He has been raised.” This is the heart of Easter faith. Jesus is not merely remembered—He is alive.
In the broader Christian tradition of theology, the Resurrection is the Father’s vindication of the Son. Everything Jesus said and did—His mercy, His forgiveness, His identity as the Son of God—is confirmed as true. The cross was not defeat; it was the path to victory.
Yet the response of the women is equally important: “fear and great joy.” This paradox captures authentic Christian experience. Encountering the living God is overwhelming—it disrupts our expectations—but it also fills us with deep joy. The fear is not terror, but awe. It is the recognition that God is doing something far beyond human control.
Then something even more profound happens: Jesus Himself meets them on the way. He does not wait for them to figure everything out; He comes to them. This reflects a key theological insight: Resurrection faith is not something we achieve—it is something we receive through encounter. The risen Christ always takes the initiative.
Their response is deeply physical and relational: they take hold of His feet and worship Him. This is crucial. The Resurrection is not an abstract idea, it is embodied. Jesus is truly risen, not as a ghost or memory, but in a glorified body. This affirms the Christian belief in the goodness of the body and the future resurrection of all believers.
Finally, Jesus gives them a mission: “Go and tell my brothers…” The first witnesses of the Resurrection become the first evangelists. This is not incidental—it reveals that encounter with the risen Christ always leads to mission. Easter is not something we keep; it is something we proclaim.
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Easter invites us to reflect on three movements in our own lives:
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- From darkness to dawn: Where in your life does it still feel like “early morning”—uncertain, unresolved? Easter reminds you that God is already at work, even if the light is just beginning.
- From fear to joy: What fears hold you back? The Resurrection does not eliminate difficulty, but it transforms its meaning. Fear no longer has the final word.
- From encounter to mission: How are you being sent? Like the women at the tomb, your faith is meant to be shared—not perfectly, but faithfully.
The Resurrection is not just something that happened to Jesus—it is something that happens for us and within us.
Every time we move from despair to hope, from sin to grace, from isolation to communion, the power of Easter is at work. The tomb is empty. Christ is risen. And because He lives, nothing in your life is beyond redemption.
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We are looking forward to seeing you this Sunday for Service at 10:00 a.m. and for all the events of Holy Week.
Please continue to pray for peace.
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Love,
Fr. Dale & Pastor Mark
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Keep up with all your PWC friends on Facebook
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Please do not reply to this email;
the sending address is not monitored.
Please reply to: [email protected]
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Chris Pfund PhD, MBA, BSN, RN
President Homestead Health
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phone: (602) 755-4508
fax: (602) 691-0283
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Homestead Health is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to helping adults live safely and independently at home. We offer a range of in-home and virtual medical services, including concierge medicine, palliative care, transitional care, and geriatric care management. We believe everyone deserves access to compassionate and affordable healthcare.
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