I want to share a story with you that really helped me understand the joy of the Resurrection a little bit more. But before I do, let me share some verses from the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 24.
“But very early on Sunday morning, the women went to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They had found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. As they stood there, puzzled. Two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. The men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn’t here. He is risen from the dead.” — Luke 24:1-5
That’s such an amazing section of Scripture.
My Story
A few weeks ago, I was involved in perhaps the ten scariest seconds of my life. I was traveling home from a family event, and there was a car directly in front of me. As I was driving, I watched a truck barrel from the side and hit the car in front of me. Full speed.
It was a hit-and-run. The truck sped away while the car in front of me spun out of control, eventually gaining composure. My heart sank. There was glass, smoke, and all of the scenes of an accident that you may have experienced before.
But what made this moment even more terrifying for me was that in the car in front of me were my two precious boys. My son was driving, and my younger son was in the passenger seat.
In that moment, I was entirely convinced that I had just witnessed the death of my two sons. As I said, it was the scariest ten seconds of my life. I pulled up to the car as quickly as I could, and to my amazement, my children were alive!
What had seemed so dark, so terrifying, so horrible, was replaced with unspeakable joy. My sons were alive.
Why Are You Looking for the Dead?
Now, back to the Resurrection. Those dear women had watched their Lord die — soldiers crucified Him on a cross, unjustly. They were convinced that He was gone. Gone forever. The terror that I felt in those ten seconds may be nothing compared to seeing their Lord actually die.
They went to the tomb with that kind of grief. Only to be met with, “Why are you looking for someone who is alive among the dead?”
In that moment, they knew their Lord wasn’t there. He had risen. He was alive. All of their grief, all of their questions, all of that hopelessness was replaced with the joy of the resurrected Lord — Easter morning!
You know, that question is amazing to me as well. Why do we look among dead things for living things? As Christians, we have hope in a risen, alive, living Lord. It’s a challenge to us, isn’t it? Sometimes we can still look to dead things to bring us life, or in dead places.
Christian, on this Easter day, celebrate the risen Lord. Celebrate that He is alive and look for Him, living things, for your joy.
Happy Easter!
Reflection Questions for Today
1. Where in my life am I looking for the living among the dead? Where have I been placing my hope in something that can’t truly give life?
2. What situation have I been treating like the story is over? How might the hope of Easter remind me that God is still working—even here?
3. How does the hope of the Resurrection change the way I live today? How should it shape my perspective, my decisions, and the way I carry hope into the world?
Posted in A Word from the Pastor