Easter Sunday

Adult and Small Child

Quanny Ard

Quantrilla (Quanny) Ard is a faith-based personal and spiritual development writer who lives in the DC Metro area with her husband Donny and three littles (Quentin, Dylan, and Logan). In addition to being a dedicated wife and mother, she is a entrepreneur, doctoral student, and curator of all things lovely. As a woman on her own quest of shining a light on the shadowy, hidden places in her life, she writes as the PhDMamma about things she knows to be true in hopes to encourage others to do the same. Her spiritual goals and her love for Christ propel her quest to share the spiritual journey with other women- to walk alongside them and encourage them with words, deeds, and wisdom. Quanny believes in the power in collective strength, community and fellowship. You will find her wherever people are sharing stories of triumph.

Read: Matthew 28:1-10

Reflect: On the dawn of the first day of the week, both Mary Magdelene and the other Mary went to the tomb where Jesus was buried. All of a sudden, there was an earthquake and they saw an angel coming down from heaven. The angel rolled away the stone and sat on it. He looked like lightning and his clothes were as white as snow. The guards at the tomb were very afraid. The angel told the women not to be afraid. He continued speaking to them and told them he knew they were looking for Jesus, but that He was not there, He had risen! The angel even had the women come inside the tomb to see for themselves that it was empty. The angel instructed them to go back and tell the disciples that Jesus had risen and was heading to Galilee and that they would find Jesus there. The women were so excited and filled with joy. They left right away to tell the disciples, when suddenly, Jesus showed up and greeted them! They worshipped Him right there! Jesus told them again not to be afraid and to go tell the disciples to go to Galilee where they would see Him. Praise God; Jesus is alive!

Respond: Has something happened out of the blue you didn’t expect? Have you ever been surprised by a great gift? Ask your parent or trusted grownup to join you in a little fun. Have them tell you about a wonderful surprise they received and then you tell them about your best surprise!

-Quantrilla Ard

Adult and Elementary

Imani Driskell

Imani Driskell is the Director of Children's, Youth, and Family Ministries at St. Michael's-in-the-Hills Episcopal Church in Toledo, Ohio. Imani was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York and is a bagel and pizza enthusiast. She enjoys learning, teaching and speaking about Faith Formation. Her favorite novel is The Living is Easy by Dorothy West.

Read: Luke 24:1-12

Reflect: It’s Easter Day! Would you try to picture the women carrying the spices to the Jesus’ tomb and finding the stone rolled away? The women probably experienced many different emotions on this day: confusion, fear, and possibly excitement after hearing about our risen Savior, Jesus. Have you ever felt many different emotions in one day? On Sundays, I feel a little bit sleepy because I get up so early for church. Once I get to church, I feel a little nervous about stumbling over words when I read aloud in front of the congregation and finally, I feel excited and happy to partake of the Eucharist along with the other believers. That’s a lot of emotions in one day! In this passage, we see a group of people journeying through many emotions. This is similar to what we experience on Sundays. This is what makes us a family and a community of faith.

Respond: Join your family members together and sing a song. As you sing together, the sounds rise higher than they would if you were singing alone. That is what creating community is all about. That is also what worship is all about.

-Imani Driskell

How will you share with others the good news of Jesus' resurrection?

Adult and Youth

Faitth Brooks

Faitth is the Communication and Programming Director for Legacy Collective. She engages in community organizing and activism. Her passion makes her a relentless spokesperson for racial reconciliation. She is a social media strategist and blogger who writes at Faitthbrooks.com.

Read: Psalm 118:1-2; 14-24

Reflect: In Psalm 118, it’s believed at the time this Psalm was written David finally gained full possession of the Kingdom of Israel. The first half of the Psalm David reflects on how good it is to trust in the Lord and in the second half of the Psalm, David’s words are a foreshadowing of the coming of Christ, the stone the builders rejected. David proceeds to give praise and thanks to God for God’s goodness. David was aware of his weaknesses, mistakes, and his humanity but he was also keenly aware of God’s endless love and mercy towards him. In humility and thankfulness, David writes to God in adoration, knowing how much he has messed up and done things his own way, but God still loved him in spite of his mistakes and God’s radical love leads David to continuously sing praise to God.

Respond: How can you express your thankfulness to God for all God has done? Take time to write, draw, paint, sing, etc. your thankfulness to God in a creative way.

-Faitth Brooks

Adult and Adult

CJ Quartlbaum

CJ is a writer and speaker from Brooklyn, NY. He spends most of his time hanging with his family, playing with his daughter, playing basketball, and reading. He's passionate about seeing the gospel spread in his city, in Brooklyn as it is in heaven. You can catch up with him on Twitter @CJ_Quartlbaum or at CJQuartlbaum.com

Read: 1 Corinthians 15:19-26

Reflect: The glorious promise of the resurrection is that this life is not the end. Our hope cannot be found on this earth alone. This place was never meant to satisfy our deepest longings and needs. Jesus’ resurrection proves He is the king who will reign gloriously forever. This is good news.When things in your life appear to be going wrong and the pressures of life seem to have no end, remember this. Lean into this truth. Life is going to throw all sorts of obstacles your way: a job loss, an unexpected medical emergency, failed plans, wayward children, and yet through it all, Jesus reigns supreme. On this Easter Sunday, we look at the resurrection of Christ and we rejoice in His goodness. We know the battle has already been won and our hope is in the one who has the victory.

Respond: The resurrection is a moment of great joy for Christians. Sing some songs as a family that point to the resurrection. Sing for joy!

-CJ Quartlbaum