A Brave Word

“Christ is risen!”

“He is risen indeed!”

This familiar call and response liturgy is likely still ringing in our ears, echoing from Easter Sunday’s songs, prayers, and proclamations.

And yet we wake up to a world that tells a very different story. War, violence, loss, and tragedy flood our headlines, and if we’re honest, it can leave us disoriented as we try to hold together what we proclaimed on Sunday with what we face on Monday.

So what does it mean to declare “Christ is risen” when the powers of death are visible, loud, and unrelenting?

It means we refuse to let death have the final word—not with denial or shallow optimism, but with a deeper, sturdier hope that looks honestly at what is broken and still dares to name life.

Resurrection is not the absence of death; it is the mustard seed of the Kingdom, planted in the soil of our world, quietly growing into life that stretches beyond what we can yet imagine. To proclaim “Christ is risen” is to practice resurrection by tending to life where it feels fragile, resisting despair’s pull toward numbness, and becoming people rooted in love and sustained by grace.

This kind of life requires space to breathe, time to listen, and permission to rest. This Fall, our Why Stay 2026 Retreat invites you into that very space to be renewed and rediscover the life resurrection makes possible.

Because Christ is risen, and even now, life is breaking through.

Practicing Resurrection

In a world saturated with urgency and heavy headlines, choose to practice resurrection by tending to one small sign of life this week. Notice where life is quietly pushing through—in your body, your relationships, your neighborhood, or your work. Resist the pull to move past it. Pause. Give it your attention. Then respond with one small act of care—send a note of encouragement, take a walk, water something living, or offer presence to someone in need.

The Kingdom often begins small. Practice noticing and naming life. Practice tending to it.

Practice resurrection.

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*Editorial Note: Lisa Rodriguez-Watson, National Director of Missio Alliance (and my friend!), is one of the most natural, gifted, and strongest women in ministry leadership that I have ever known, let alone served alongside and under. For years, our team has encouraged her to write more often. I am thrilled that you will be challenged and formed by her writing through this new mini-series we will release the second Monday of each month, entitled “A Brave Word.” ~CK