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One of Jimmy Shelbourn's parishioners suggested an interesting idea to him.

The parishioner, a member of Westminster Presbyterian's handbell choir, thought it would be a neat idea if all the churches in Lincoln with bell towers were to ring their bells at the same time on Easter.

Shelbourn, pastor of the church at 2110 Sheridan Blvd., thought it was a good idea. So Monday, he started making calls and firing off texts and emails to other pastors around the cityÌý— not just Presbyterians, but Lutherans, Methodists, Congregationalists and others.

He hadn't heard back from everybody, but he believes anyone who's outside at noon Sunday will be able to hear bell-ringing around the city.

"I think there will be significant numbers of churches doing it," Shelbourn said.

Westminster, like most churches in Lincoln, has gone to virtual services over the past few weeks because of the restrictions on gatherings because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Shelbourn's staff records him giving his sermons and posts them to YouTube on Saturday nights. While that keeps his parishioners connected and gives them an outlet for their faith, it's not the same as gathering together.

The physical ringing of the bells on Easter, he said, will be a way to "celebrate the resurrection despite the existential threat of the virus."

The Rev. Karen Lamb will be preaching from home on Easter, sitting in her recliner.

The traveling Methodist pastor from Lincoln, who serves the Methodist churches of Douglas and Burr, will speak to the time of Jesus.

And she will speak to this time.

She hadn’t finished her sermon Friday. She was cooking at Lulu’s on N Street, where she serves downtown workers and free meals to those in need.

“The theme will be that the disciples were alone and afraid and keeping to themselves, like we are alone and afraid and keeping to ourselves,� Lamb said. “But because they had faith they knew to look for the hope, just like we should rely on our faith to allow us to look for the hope.�

She will talk about the women of the Bible, too, who went out in search of Jesus and found the empty tomb.

“The women went out because they felt they had to, the way we should be going out only when we feel we have to.�

—ÌýCindy Lange-Kubick

Already eight families who belong to Cristo Rey Catholic Church in Lincoln have had a family member contract the coronavirus.Ìý

And an untold number of the roughly 5,000 parishioners who attend the church, which serves Lincoln's Hispanic Catholic community, have lost their jobs.

The Rev. Evan Winter, often called "Padre Jaime" by Cristo Rey congregants, said he knows those realities will weigh heavily when he begins his Easter homily Sunday.Ìý

But he'll stand at the lectern and, in Spanish, ask the faithful watching online to remember the focus of the Christian tradition, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and his salvation for those who believe.

Winter's homily builds around a passage from Easter Sunday's second reading that saysÌý"Pongan todo el corazón en los bienes del cielo, no en los de la tierra."Ìý

Think of what is above, not of what is on Earth, he paraphrased the translation.Ìý

No matter if a Christian dies tomorrow or in 50 years, Jesus' sacrifice secures eternal life for them in health — a good outcome, Winter said.Ìý

"This is something Jesus can bring to us, whether we’re stuck at home, whether we’re sick, whether we’re healthy,� Winter said.

—ÌýRiley Johnson

The hope of Jesus through his resurrection and the value that can be found in suffering will be the message brought at two livestreamed Sunday morning services from the Berean Church.

That message, said the Rev. Josh Luse, has been altered a bit from what would ordinarily have been presented because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We’re going to be talking about the living hope that Jesus presents from the book of 1 Peter, how the resurrection changes everything,� Luse said. “We’re talking from chapter 1, verses 3-9. It starts with the hope, but then he really talks through there about what value he found in suffering and hardship.�

That message of finding value in suffering will, Luse said, resonate in these times. But he added, “hardship is not just now, so it’s applicable no matter what.�

The Berean services will be livestreamed from homes at 9 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. The church had previously livestreamed services from its building.

“This one you’ll find somebody will do a song from their living room and we’ll go to somebody else, who’ll do another song from their living room,� Luse said. “It’ll be different."

—ÌýL. Kent Wolgamott

The Easter sermon at St. Matthew’s Episcopal, a small church tucked into a southeast Lincoln neighborhood, will be about the in-between times.

The ones the disciples experienced after Jesus’ crucifixion, before they understood and believed he’d risen, said Mother Amanda Gott, the church’s rector. The ones people are experiencing now, in uncertain, scary times.

“Sometimes, the things going on in our lives don’t match the stories we’ve heard in church,� she said. “This Easter is no less real than any other Easter. Christ is raised from the dead, and it makes all the difference in our lives.�

Gott wanted to find a way to celebrate the joy of Easter but acknowledge these difficult times, to hold the two realities together.

And living a life of faith happens more often in uncertainty than certainty, she said.Ìý

“Being able to rest and trust knowing God is with us and holding us in those in-between times is part of faith.�

—ÌýMargaret Reist

Viewers of Southwood Lutheran's virtual Easter service will see a choir and hear hymns of the season.Ìý

"We're going to be using some of the music we used from our Easter last year in that video," said the Rev. Greg Olson. "It'll actually look like a full church. But it won't be. I will be carrying my message to an empty church."

And in that message, he will address the elephant in the room: "The fear that we feel, the fear for health, for finances, for an unknown future."Ìý

There is stress, loneliness, sadness, anger. He has heard it in the voices of the church's congregants. But people are reaching out for a message of hope in all of this, he said.Ìý

So he will tell them God is working through the scientists, researchers, medical professionals, grocery store workers, truck drivers, and all those who are encouraging each other.ÌýÌý

"We have the ability and capacity to decide how we will get through this time of challenge," Olson said. "As Christians, we believe that Christ is risen; God is alive. Live with the faith and hope that we will get through this and that God will be with us no matter what happens."

—ÌýJoAnne Young

The unfolding coronavirus pandemic has made the past month pretty rough on people not just in Lincoln and Nebraska but all over the world.

"Our whole global situation is pretty dark right now," said the Rev. Jimmy Shelbourn, pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church.

Because of that, Shelbourn said he wants to bring some light to his parishioners, which is why his Easter message will sound a little different this year.

His sermon, titled "Arriving in Darkness, Leaving in Light," will focus on Mary Magdalene's experience at Jesus' tomb.

For the first time, it won't be delivered in person. Instead, members of the church will be able to watch it on YouTube.

"I hope people tuning in will have their faith confirmed and their hope encouraged," Shelbourn said.

—ÌýMatt Olberding