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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Easter sermons to focus on hope

In a time of economic hardship, a message of hope will be prominent this morning in Easter sermons across the Inland Northwest, several Christian ministers said Saturday.

“I am going to be talking about the hard times that people are facing, but my focus is going to be more on turning to God to have your needs met,” said Dan Chance, who will be giving his first Easter sermon as lead pastor of Solid Rock Church in Post Falls.

Easter – the day that the New Testament says Jesus rose from the dead, giving people the hope of everlasting life – is the most important day in the Christian calendar.

“This year, I’m centering more on hope,” said the Rev. Jo Hien, of St. Anthony Catholic Church in north Spokane. “There’s always light at the end of the tunnel.”

Hien said the Easter message of hope is connected to the hardships facing people.

“Everyone was so downtrodden and so desperate,” Hien said of Jesus’ followers after he was crucified. “And suddenly, he came back.”

The Right Rev. Jim Waggoner, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane, posted a recorded Easter message on the Internet that relates to uncertain times.

“Easter is ours. It didn’t happen to us, but it’s given to us,” Waggoner said. “That’s the gift, that’s the grace that says even in times of anxiety, even when things have appeared to have hit the bottom that we can be raised up and that the very hands that we think about on the cross on Good Friday are the hands that hold us and the hands that raise us up.”

The Rev. Linda Crowe, of Veradale United Church of Christ, said her sermon will be shaped by current events – but not so much by news related to the battered economy. Her small congregation has hosted four funeral services so far this year.

When hearts are filled with grief, “we really need to hear the Easter message,” she said.

“I can’t wipe the grin off my face on Easter morning,” Crowe said. Easter brings the “realization of how important it is and how wonderful it is to celebrate new life.”

Jonathan Brunt can be reached at jonathanb@spokesman.com or (509) 459-5442.