What is the center of your Easter message for people in 2026?
The Rev. Dr. George C. Gilbert Sr., pastor of Holy Trinity Baptist Church in Washington, D.C.
“My theme is: ‘We already have a King.’ There is so much discussion about No Kings Day [protests] around the world, and I wanted to make it known to President Trump that we don’t [need] another king to celebrate America’s 250th birthday later this year.”
The Rev. Tony Lee, pastor of Community of Hope AME Church in Temple Hills, Maryland
“Even during bad times and challenging circumstances, we still have hope, and our hope is in Christ Jesus.”
The Rev. William Barber, president and senior lecturer of Repairers of the Breach and founder of Moral Mondays, who preached at Howard University’s Rankin Chapel on Palm Sunday
“Our message must be clear in this moment: They are not like us. Jesus rode a donkey to make a public stand that they are not like us. Your birth and presence are not an accident – every donkey is here because God wants them here. The odds of you being born are 1 in 400 trillion. You are a walking miracle. You are part of a ‘Mighty movement of a mighty God.’”
The Rev. Dr. Barbara Reynolds, Washington, D.C.
“‘He has risen.’ Those words flowing from Mary Magdalene, who Jesus appeared to first after His Resurrection, are powerful even now. No matter what our situation is today, we are more than conquerors through the blood of Jesus shared for us. The cross Jesus died upon stands not as a weapon of defeat but of transformation and liberation.”
Compiled by Keith Golden Jr.