“But on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body.”    (Luke 24:1-3)

Where would we be without Easter Day?

Without Easter, there wouldn’t be any Christmas. If Jesus hadn’t been raised from the dead, we would never have heard about Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, or the birth of the Savior of the world.

Without Easter, there would be no Friday called Good. If Jesus hadn’t been raised from the dead, Jesus’ death offers no chance for the forgiveness of our sins and no hope of being reconciled with God.

Without Easter, we wouldn’t have heard of Jesus’ teachings. If Jesus hadn’t been raised from the dead, no one would have recorded the words of this condemned man, no matter how wise or insightful.

Without Easter, we wouldn’t have the church. Although the church is flawed and sometimes just wrong and corrupt, much that has been good, just, and noble in the last 2,000 years has been done by those who believed in the resurrected Jesus.

Without Easter, we would have no hope of seeing again those who have already died in the Lord.

Without Easter, what would our own life be like? If Jesus hadn’t been raised from the dead and with us now, some of us wouldn’t be alive. Just who was that presence that gave us hope when we had none, who gave us the strength to carry on when we had nothing left?

The truth about Easter isn’t simply that it gives us hope for life after death, but that it also gives us hope for life before death. We all have hurts, losses, and temptations that rob our peace, destroy our dreams and undermine our courage. No matter how bright, talented, or determined we may be, there are some things we can’t fix, heal, or change. But with the resurrected Jesus at our side, we can continue to live, have hope, make a difference, and even flourish.

I encourage us to believe in and hold fast to Easter because without Jesus being raised from the dead, the hope we need in this life and for eternal life is lost. With the hope of Jesus being raised from the dead, all can be found, healed, and raised up.

Reflection Questions:

1. Where would you be without the Resurrected Jesus?

2. Where and how do you need the power of Easter to lift up what has fallen down, to find what has been lost, to mend what has broken, to reconcile what has been separated?

3. How do you illustrate through what you say and do that Easter is real and that the Risen Christ is with you?