Easter Sunday

On Easter Sunday, the women visited the tomb (Luke 24:1-8), the disciples gathered (John 20:2-10), and the resurrected Lord appeared (Matthew 28:5-10).

Easter — Resurrection Day! The silence of a Saturday, and then, like a sunrise or the beauty of a freshly blooming garden, it is Easter!

In truth, there is a time for everything. Solomon's words ring loudly to all of us this Easter season: "A time to be born and a time to die" (Eccl. 3:2). That one phrase sums up the human predicament. We will all, in His time, move from this world into eternity.

Yet, what about the afterlife? Is that not one of the major messages of Easter? What if we gain the whole world in life, but lose our souls in death? To those who believe in Christ, "Death has been swallowed up in victory" (1 Cor. 15:54). Paul wrote, "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. ... If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied ... But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead" (1 Cor. 15:17,19-20).

It is estimated that 40 percent of those who will sit in church on Easter do not have a personal relationship with the resurrected Lord. We must offer life to those who live in death. "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26). What a privilege to show the way to eternal life. People need to remember that Easter was and is for them. [Yet, sadly only 42 percent of those contacted in a recent Barna survey link Easter to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.]

"The angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: "He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him"'" (Matt. 28:5-7).

Be Blessed, and Be a Blessing

Roger