Going Up? The Day After Easter. Christian Meets His Elevator Friends for Lemonade

A Resurrection Conversation in One Act

A Personal Note from David Roseberry

🌟 Coming Tomorrow at 6:12 AM Central: The Christ Church Stories 🌟

Happy Easter! I hope your celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection was a joyous and uplifting.

Will you allow me to offer Easter blessings to you and your family from Fran and me? We attended our son’s Anglican church in Richardson, Texas.

What’s Next?

Starting tomorrow morning, I’ll be sharing a new series called “The Christ Church Stories.”

This is not just a nostalgic trip down Memory Lane.

It’s a thoughtful, prayerful recalling of God’s incredible faithfulness — told through true stories that shaped one church, one community, and many lives.

If you are (or ever were) part of Christ Church Plano, these stories will bring back memories you’ll cherish. But these aren’t just stories for our members.

Each one holds a deeper meaning — about calling, community, hope, hardship, and the surprising ways God works through ordinary people.

If you’re a Christian longing to see God’s hand at work in real life, these stories are for you. First story releases tomorrow morning at 6:12 AM.

I hope you’ll come along on the journey. Become a Paid Subscriber to enjoy the entire series in your Inbox.

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Previously on “Going Up?”

Readers will remember Christian, the somewhat nerdy but sincere elevator evangelist. He has been meeting people in his favorite lift, the Schindler 7200, for fascinating, quick conversations about the Christian faith. For the season of Lent, he met and invited six people to Easter morning church.

Let’s recap the characters he met over the past five weeks

Cast of Characters

• Ash – fiery revolutionary, quick-witted and intense.

• Wanda – fashionista and brand ambassador; stylish and thoughtful.

• Marcus the Stoic – composed, intellectual, guarded.

• New Age Skeptic – open-hearted, curious, deeply searching.

• Churchgoing Lady – longtime believer with quiet doubts.

• The War Veteran – humble, grounded, speaks with gentle authority.

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Scene One: Easter Morning at Church

The sanctuary is bright with lilies and bursting with song. The pews are full, and in the seventh row sits an unlikely group. Ash leans forward. Wanda sits with a designer scarf tucked beneath her coat. The Stoic glances toward the pulpit with folded arms. The New Age Skeptic clutches a handmade pendant Peace sign. The Churchgoing Lady smiles nervously. And off to the side, in a wheelchair is the War Veteran.

They don’t speak much during the service. But something has brought them here—something… or Someone.

The Gospel reading comes from Luke 24:1–12. The women at the tomb. The angel’s words. Peter’s run. An empty grave and the silence.

After the dismissal, the group finds each other in the parish hall sipping bad church coffee and munching on shortbread cookies. Christian greets them all with his usual awkward energy.

CHRISTIAN: Woohoo! Guys! Wasn’t that awesome! And wow, what a closer! That preacher got me with that last line, “Now that you know—where will you go?"

I’m so glad we all fit in one pew and we couldn’t have done it without you!” (Christian looks at the Vet he met last week, who is confined to a wheelchair. Awkward moment ensues. Wanda, the fashionista brand ambassador, cringes.)

Anywho, let’s all go our ways today. See family. Catch a movie. Go shopping. But everyone, come to my house tomorrow afternoon. Let’s talk about what we heard.”

And they do.

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Scene Two: Christian’s Backyard

A long, well-worn picnic table. Sandwiches. Lemonade. Sunlight in the trees. There is a calmness here, a weight that doesn’t feel heavy—just real. Christian stands to speak.

CHRISTIAN

“I’ve been looking forward to this. Not just to yesterday. I’ve been eager for this. Here. Right now. Today. I remember each of you… because we met on the Schindler 7200.”

(A few looks. A chuckle. Wanda raises an eyebrow.)

CHRISTIAN (grinning)

“I know. That’s the model number of the elevator I rode during Lent. I told you—I’m a nerd. My girlfriend says I love elevators… and I love the people I meet in them. She’s not wrong.” (A few smiles now. He has their attention.)

“Guys, we heard the Gospel yesterday. The whole Resurrection story. But we each heard it in our own way. It was written by a guy named Luke and he wrote it for a guy named Theophilus. It’s like, from a person to a person.

The guy’s name meant “Friend of God”, which is awesome.

Anyway, I’ve learned to ask two questions that always bring the story closer, make it really personal to and to me.

Here they are. Two questions. What did you hear? What does it mean—for you. Like, what stood out in the story? So let’s talk. Pretend we’re old friends. Share what you heard. Share what it means to you.

(He places his hand on the table. Gently.)

Ash, let’s start with you.”

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ASH (Arms crossed, but leaning in)

“I heard that the apostles didn’t believe the women. They thought it was nonsense. At first I was like, #BelieveAllWomen”, ya know?”

(He pauses. No response.)

“Okay, tough crowd. I get it. But here’s the thing. Those people-those normal people—sparked a movement. And it changed everything. Not overnight like me and my friends try to do. But slow. Quiet. Like a long fuse.

Yeah, the Church took over, right? The Roman Empire and stuff, right? I remember hearing about that in one of my college classes before I dropped out. The church grew and grew over time.

(He laughs a little.)

“Honestly, for me, it means like, maybe lasting change doesn’t always start on the outside. Ya know? I gotta find out more about the revolution that took place on the inside of these people. Yeah. Cool. That’s my takeaway.

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WANDA (Stylish, composed, honest)

“What stood out to me is how beautiful it all was. And powerful. But not flashy.”

(She adjusts her sunglasses.)

“There weren’t trumpets. No stage lights. Just angels. How were they dressed, even? Really, like. Wow! They weren’t showy. It was hidden, sort of, off camera, which tells me that this Resurrection thing is something each person has to discover on their own. You can’t snap a picture of it. You can’t sell it. You… experience it. And believe. I guess. I don’t know. I want to know more.”

Hey Christian, I could help those pastors in the fashion department, though. Let them know—free consultation. I’m on it!”

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MARCUS THE STOIC (Thoughtful, slow to speak)

“Peter ran. That’s what struck me.” (He stares into his lemonade.)

“He was amazed! It’s been years since I’ve been amazed at anything. I think I’ve flattened out my life and lowered my expectations. I don’t get excited. I don’t chase things. Life is, you know, life. It is what it is.”

(A pause.)

“But Peter ran toward the unknown. That’s what I heard. And today? I should start caring about stuff. Get out of my head. I’m sort of sick of myself, to be honest. I have to find out more. I wanna start running to something”.

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NEW AGE SKEPTIC (Soft, wide-eyed)

“I remember the question: Why do you look for the living among the dead?”

(She touches her necklace.)

“That blew me away. I mean, really, that’s what I do! I’ve been doing exactly THAT! Looking for life in crystals, in chakras, in vibrations. But I’m starting to wonder… what if God isn’t an energy like I have been trying to get in touch with. What if God is a presence? A voice that knows my name. Someone who could know me like a person could know me.”

(She breathes deeply.)

“I’ve always assumed change would come slowly, incrementally. But now I think—maybe people can change in an instant. Like those ladies in the story. Like Peter. If they meet the right person. And it sounds like Jesus is someone I really do need to meet. He’s alive, right!?”

CHURCHGOING LADY (Quiet, steady)

“I heard that the women remembered. That’s when it all clicked—they remembered what Jesus had said.”

(She nods slowly.)

“Remembering… it all became true. That’s what stood out to me. I’ve been taught the faith my whole life. I’ve been to Sunday School, Bible studies, you name it. But I’m just now realizing that remembering is part of believing. Remembering… and trusting.

I’ve been going to this church for eight years and the only one I know is you, Chrsitian. But all those people today felt like family—because we were remembering the same thing.

I actually cried during communion. And that’s a first!”

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WAR VETERAN (Calm, gravelly voice)

“You know, when the pastor read the story, everyone was standing, and I couldn’t see. I can’t stand. And all I kept thinking about was the stone. The stone. That’s what I saw in my mind. It was rolled away.”

(He taps the wheelchair gently.)

“Stones don’t move on their own. Those women couldn’t move it. I couldn’t either. But God did. And I’ve got some stuff I can’t do, but I think I felt that maybe God could…. I don’t know. I wanna think about it. I need to do some pondering…

(He looks out across the yard.)

“Maybe that’s the whole point. God goes ahead of us. Moves what we can’t. Makes a way. That gives me hope. That tells me I’ve got more to do with my life.”

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CHRISTIAN (rising, glass in hand)

“Thank you. All of you.”

(He raises his lemonade, and they all follow.)

“I propose a toast! (Everyone takes their plastic cup of lemonade.)

I didn’t know any of you before we met. I had seen one of you in church. Ash, you looked scary to me when I first met you. Wanda, wow, you were striking—dressed to the nines. I’ll never forget that! (Looking at the Stoic) Marcus, you came too. I love that! And my Vet here, I am so sorry to say I never knew your name—I barely saw you in a wheelchair, I was so absorbed in my own stuff. (Looking at the New Ager.) You have your own energy, your own vibe. That’s for sure.

But each of you have been awesome to be with. So here’s to you, and to the Gospel. And here’s to our church!

WANDA

Wait a minute! (Winks at the group and interrupts Christian’s toast.) A toast to the elevator evangelist. He has courage. He’s never met a stranger. He listens. He loves. And then he invites. Here’s to you, Christian—oh wait, Christian. What is your last name?”

CHRISTIAN: Goodman.

EVERYONE: Of course! To Christian Goodman! Here! Here!

CHRISTIAN: To the Gospel. It’s not just good news—it’s great news.”

(Plastic cups clink. The wind rustles the trees. Wanda winks at Christian. And somewhere inside each of them, something has changed.

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The Christ Church Stories Begin Tomorrow at 6:12 AM