In this year’s Easter message from Lutheran World Federation, Nepalese pastor Rev. Rinki Rachel Soren reflects on the transformation made possible through Christ’s resurrection, freeing believers from sin and redefining their identity in him. Rather than observing this season only as an event, Easter is an invitation to leave behind the old self, choose justice over injustice, and love over division, in a world marked by violence, inequality, and broken relationships.
“So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; look, new things have come into being!”
— 2 Corinthians 5:17
Dear friends in Christ,
Grace and peace to you in the name of the risen Jesus.
We come to Easter this year in a world that feels, in many ways, unsettled—marked by uncertainty, division, and deep longing. And yet, this is not new territory for God’s people. Jesus lived, spoke, and moved among communities facing turmoil, oppression, and fear. Into that very reality, he proclaimed good news. Into that very reality, he brought healing, hope, and ultimately resurrection.
This year, as a synod, we have been reflecting on what it means to be Rooted in God’s Story. At Easter, we are reminded that this story is not abstract or distant—it is alive, unfolding, and grounded in the promise that death does not have the final word. We are, as the Church has long proclaimed, resurrection people. Our identity is rooted not in fear or scarcity, but in the living Christ who continues to make all things new.
Over the past weeks, I have been deeply heartened by our Spring Gatherings across the synod. In each place, we have centered ourselves in the Lord’s Prayer, reflecting on its meaning through Luther’s Small Catechism—words that have shaped generations of faithful disciples. Together, we have prayed, listened, and remembered who we are.
And at the close of each gathering, we have invited one another to share good news.
Again and again, congregation after congregation, person after person, stories have poured forth—of ministry, of connection, of resilience, of generosity, of quiet faithfulness and bold new steps. Not once have we found ourselves without good news to share. This, too, is a sign of resurrection life among us.
So this Easter, we celebrate the good news of Jesus Christ—crucified and risen—and we recommit ourselves to telling that story. We share it in our worship, in our service, in our communities, and in our daily lives. We share it because the world needs it. We share it because it is already alive among us.
Christ is risen. Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia.
With you in Christ,
In his Easter message, Presiding Bishop Curry says that even though we consider ourselves to be an Easter church, we must remember that we are also a Lenten church, a time when we live in uncertainty, waiting and hoping for renewal. Curry reminds us that in the midst of that uncertainty, comes God’s promise of reassurance and hope. Death does not have the final word. “Yes, we are Easter people. Even when the ground below us is shaking, we will not grow weary. We know that Jesus is our foundation. Christ is risen, and that truth strengthens us. It gives us courage to live, to hope, and to proclaim joy. Christ is risen. Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia!” Text: Matthew 28:5; Taizé Community Music: Jacques Berthier, 1923-1994 Text and Music © 1998 Les Presses de Taizé, admin. GIA Publications, Inc.
Watch Bishop’s Curry’s Easter Message Herehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?si=HzsmWuQH6JJR2VD1&v=Cpw7B04qrgY&feature=youtu.be
Read Here:
We remember the whispers of Advent as we anticipated the birth of Jesus. Now, as we journey through Holy Week, we anticipate the joyful noise of alleluias on Easter Sunday. But before we reach the Easter celebration, we make our way through Lent, through an in-between time where we don’t know what tomorrow will bring. We often describe ourselves as an Easter church, but in this holy, solemn time that begins with Ash Wednesday and moves on to Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday, we are also a Lenten church. Living in uncertainty, waiting and hoping for renewal. Longing for the moments when God’s presence feels closer and more sure. During Lent, we learn what it means to live on unsettled ground. In Matthew’s retelling of the resurrection, he describes a “violent earthquake” as the angel came down from heaven and rolled the stone away from the entrance to the tomb where Jesus lay. I imagine the earthquake, the rumble deep below the earth, as the ground shifted far under the surface. Perhaps those who were nearby felt the tremble. Maybe the women who were on their way to the tomb with prepared spices felt the earth shift. They were unsettled, but they knew something powerful was happening. We can understand that human experience of feeling out of control, of not being able to make sense of what’s happening around us. Many of us can relate to this as we witness the current unrest in our world and in our communities. Like the women at the tomb, we feel isolated, disconnected. We’re unsettled, unsure, living the Lenten reality of waiting and hoping. And then, in the midst of that shaking, comes the promise. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen.” God’s promise offers reassurance and hope. The resurrection does not deny disruption — it meets us within disorder and disturbance. The stone is rolled away. Death does not have the final word. Yes, we are Easter people. Even when the ground below us is shaking, we will not grow weary. We know that Jesus is our foundation. Christ is risen, and that truth strengthens us. It gives us courage to live, to hope and to proclaim joy. Christ is risen. Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia!
During this holiest of weeks, we pray for our siblings across the world who are living out the work of Christ. We remember Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, and the love he continued to show, even when those closest to him fell short.
In this sacred time, we lift up all who carry that same love into the world today, especially those serving and walking alongside our most vulnerable neighbors. May they be strengthened, sustained, and reminded that they do not labor alone.
Amen.
On the ELCA World Hunger website, there are plenty of good resources amiable for congregational engagement!
Lifelines
For the World Hunger annual report please see the 2025 Fall Lifelines issue, now available for download, as a PDF and interactive flipbook, and also available for order as a physical copy. 2026 Spring Lifelines should also be available by April.
Print/Digital Resources
If you are interested in starting a feeding ministry, this guide provides tips and strategies for planning, sourcing food, engaging volunteers, and much more. If you’re part of an existing feeding ministry, you’ll find ideas for growing, expanding or reimagining the work you’re already doing.
This helpful guide contains tips for starting a backpack hunger relief program in your community. It was developed in partnership with ELCA congregations already engaged in backpack buddy programs across the country. Approaching your local elementary schools is also an effective way to begin identifying specific needs in your community.
Know Your Neighborhood: Worksheet and Guide
This guide provides suggestions for finding data related to several areas that impact food security: housing, employment and food access. Data can help you and others know more about the challenges our neighbors face and the assets available in a community.
“At the Table” is ELCA World Hunger’s 2025 VBS curriculum, inviting your community to learn how storytelling can make a difference in your neighborhood and the world.
“En la Mesa”/”At the Table” Bilingual English/Spanish VBS
For the first time ever, ELCA World Hunger has a bilingual VBS. Designed to be either a traditional VBS or an intergenerational program, each day offers large- and small-group activities, crafts, games, snacks and more.
This overnight program brings youth together to learn about the role they can play in eradicating hunger and poverty in the world.
Generation Zero-Hunger Interactive Journey Guide
With your youth group or congregation, experience the challenges faced by a family in Nepal as they seek a sustainable livelihood with this interactive roleplaying guide. The setup is based on how ELCA World Hunger designed the track for the 2024 ELCA Youth Gathering. For an intergenerational activity, consider asking a group of youth and young adults to run this experience for your community.
Many other resources can be downloaded here.
Videos
“Intersections: Justice Ministries with ELCA Partners” — an ELCA World Hunger Documentary
“Intersections” was created to introduce the ELCA and its communities to the overlapping causes of hunger. Using the M.E.R.G.E. (Migrant, Economic, Racial, Gender, and Environmental) justice acronym as an illustration, the film follows the stories of three ELCA companion ministries and explores how the church is working at poverty’s tangled roots.
Consider playing this video at your table or running a discussion session at your synod assembly based off the documentary. If you are interested in putting on running a discussion around the film, and have any questions, please contact Peter McLellan at peter.mclellan@elca.org.
“We live in a hungry world” w/ Bishop Michael Rinehart
“ELCA World Hunger in Puerto Rico” w/ Everidys Concepción
Online Course: “What is a Hunger Leader?”
How to Order Printed Resources
How to Create a QR Code
Please send us photos of your synod assembly table displays!
Thank you, and have a wonderful time at your assembly and engaging your congregations!
Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada 