In a year marked by war, political division and economic uncertainty, religious leaders say Easter’s main message remains timeless and timely.
Easter is a Christian holy day commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who Christians believe was raised from the dead three days after his crucifixion. Religious leaders in Northeast Pennsylvania said their Easter sermons and homilies will deliver messages of hope for people who are suffering. They will recall how Jesus’ suffering during his crucifixion led to hope for humanity through his resurrection.
The religious leaders will also focus on the importance of living in the image of Jesus.
“God doesn’t promise us, because we have faith, a perfect world. He doesn’t promise us that because we believe in Jesus’ resurrection that there will never be a cross to carry,” said the Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, bishop of Scranton. “The real blessing and hope that we have as Christians is not rooted in the absence of suffering and pain … but a relationship that gives us a reason to hope, the realization that we need a power bigger than ourselves to make sense of this.”
Bishop Joseph Bambera speaks as Jesus in the narrative of Jesus’ betrayal, trial and crucifixation during the Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday at St. Peter’s Cathedral in Scranton Friday, April 3. 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
During the 10 a.m. Mass on Easter Sunday at St. Peters Cathedral in Scranton, the bishop’s homily will be centered around the traditional message that Christian leaders deliver every Easter.
“At the heart of the message that we all provide is our hope in the resurrection of Jesus,” he said. “That’s the central reality of Easter, that Jesus, who died on a cross to save us, was raised from the dead (and) rose from the dead to give us life and a way forward in this world.”
The bishop will also focus his message on the idea that the hope of the resurrection comes with the responsibility of living like Jesus and treating others as he did.
“For as much as we derive hope from the resurrection of Jesus, which we do, which gives us a way forward, in the midst of everything that surrounds us, Easter also places a demand on us to live like Jesus, to treat our brothers and sisters with respect and dignity,” the bishop said. “The message of Easter becomes more and more believable when people live in the path of Christ.”
The bishop said he feels he has an obligation to relate his message to the current state of the world, which he described as “fractured.” He specifically mentioned military conflicts abroad and political turmoil at home.
“There’s a war with Iran, which has our attention more than anything else, but there is still a war in Ukraine. There are wars and civil wars, particularly in parts of Africa and other areas of the world. So, our world is not at peace. … Immigrants in our land who have the right to a way forward, innocent people who simply come here, not with a lot of baggage, not with criminal records, but individuals who simply are looking, like my grandparents, for a way forward for themselves and their families, sadly, are in the midst at times of treatment that is very unjust,” the bishop said.
Worshipers bow their heads in a moment of silence during Good Friday service at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Scranton on Friday, April 03, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Father Tyler Parry reads the Passion of the Christ during Good Friday service at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Scranton on Friday, April 03, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Worshipers stand to sing a hymn during Good Friday service at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Scranton on Friday, April 03, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Father Tyler Parry delivers his homily during Good Friday service at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Scranton on Friday, April 03, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Community members gather at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Scranton for Good Friday service on Friday, April 03, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Worshipers bow their heads in a moment of silence during Good Friday service at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Scranton on Friday, April 03, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Reminder of God’s love
At St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Scranton, Rev. Tyler Parry will focus on delivering his own translation of a Bible verse.
“The message that I plan to deliver on Easter Sunday is a pretty straightforward reflection on Jeremiah 31:3, which is part of our Hebrew Bible reading, read through the lens of the story of Christ’s death and resurrection. The verse is in God’s voice, and says, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have drawn you with loving kindness,’” Parry said.
Parry said this message of God’s love in not an unfamiliar one, but one that his congregation still needs to hear.
“‘I love you.’ That is nothing new and it shouldn’t ever become something that grows old or stale. It is a love that includes and invites all people to experience it through one another. I suspect there are many who do not hear ‘I love you’ or ‘you are valued’ enough in their lives, and the church is, or at least ought to be, a place where everyone can come to safely and truthfully hear that from God and their neighbors,” Parry said.
Parry’s homily messages will remain much the same as they are every year, but he said contextualizing it with current events has particular importance this year.
“In one sense, the central message is the same as it always has been. One important task for preachers is to express that unchanging message in ways that resonate with people, as they are situated in life,” Parry said. “There are lots of things going on in the world that influence how the message is expressed. There are wars going on, and many people feel under threat; they have loved ones, perhaps, who might be going into harm’s way. There is also bitter political division here in the United States, and many people feel afraid, targeted or even hated because of the rhetoric and policies presently implemented.”
Parry feels that faith in God’s love and community worship at churches can help soothe the unease people may be feeling right now.
“In times like these, people need to be reminded of God’s love and that there is a space in our communities where one can feel included, loved and invited, a place where they need not be afraid or uneasy. God is forming a community that is very different from what we see on the news, a family of safe connection where people can feel grounded and calm while also feeling empowered to stand for justice,” Parry said.
Pastor Bryan Krauss speaks during a recent service at Cross Creek Community Church in Kingston Twp. (Courtesy of Cross Creek Community Church)
Jesus is hope
At Cross Creek Community Church, a nondenominational church in Kingston Twp., Pastor Bryan Krauss’ main message will be that the resurrection is not just proof of who Jesus is, but something that changes people personally. Krauss plans to portray the resurrection as transformative and not merely doctrinal.
“The resurrection doesn’t just prove something about Jesus — it changes everything about us,” Krauss said.
Krauss’ message will focus more on people’s reactions and feelings of uneasiness about the events of the year so far rather than on the events themselves. He feels the general uneasiness about the world can be alleviated by a life rooted in Jesus.
“Every year has slight differences, but I will always preach the resurrection of Jesus,” Krauss said. “While there may not be specific events influencing my message this year, I believe people are looking at everything going on in our world, (the) conflict in the Middle East (and) political divisiveness etc., and wonder ‘what is going on?’ Much like the Jews back in Jesus’ day were looking for a military (and) political Messiah, I think people are looking for hope in all the wrong places. Hope has a name and his name is Jesus Christ,” Krauss said.
At St. Johns United Church of Christ in Orwigsburg, Pastor Jeff Johnson also will deliver a message of hope through the resurrection of Jesus.
“My message for Sunday is based on the traditional John 20:1-18 passage where Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb and finds it empty. I am focusing on the part where she is crying at the tomb, and her deep sadness and grief keeps her momentarily from recognizing the risen Christ who is by her side,” Johnson said. “When Jesus calls her name, Mary is brought to the reality that Christ is alive and is with her. Many of us are ‘crying at the tomb’ of sadness over a personal loss or challenge or perhaps the state of things in our world today. The message is simply that there is hope; hope because Christ is alive. God is still working in our lives and in this world and for all eternity.”
People attend the Good Friday Liturgy at St. Peter’s Cathedral in Scranton Friday, April 3. 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
A parishioner shows adoration to the cross, held by Deacon Jan Carlo Perez, during the Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday at St. Peter’s Cathedral in Scranton Friday, April 3. 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
People walk into St. Peter’s Cathedral in Scranton for the Good Friday Liturgy Friday, April 3. 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Deacon Jan Carlo Perez recites Scripture during the Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday at St. Peter’s Cathedral in Scranton Friday, April 3. 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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People attend the Good Friday Liturgy at St. Peter’s Cathedral in Scranton Friday, April 3. 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Takeaways
If members of their congregations only take away one pivotal point from their homilies and sermons, the religious leaders want them to remember hope, God’s love and the importance of the resurrection.
“We are given life through the risen Jesus, and we are called by the risen Jesus to impart that life to our brothers and sisters. Therein is our hope,” Bambera said.
Parry wants his main takeaway to be the responsibility people have to share God’s love with others.
“It would be that God’s perfect love is expressed and experienced through imperfect people who nonetheless are committed to caring for, valuing and embracing their neighbors,” Parry said.
Krauss wants his congregation to challenge themselves to reflect on what Jesus’ resurrection means for their own lives.
“So, if the resurrection is real, and it is, then it doesn’t just change what we believe. It changes how we live. The question isn’t did Jesus rise? The question is, what does that mean for you?” Krauss said.
Johnson wants his congregation to fully understand how important Easter and the resurrection are to the Christian faith and how important they are for their own lives and beyond.
“Easter is a high point of the church year because the resurrection is a central theme. Without it we would not have the Christian faith. Without it we would not have hope for now and for eternity,” Johnson said.