Today is the day that the Lord has made. This is the day death lost its sting, the day sin lost its grip, the day the tomb was emptied and the promise fulfilled.

Jesus, our Savior, who suffered and died, who was buried in a stone-cold tomb… is now alive. And not just in our hearts, not just in memory, not symbolically – but He is truly, bodily, gloriously alive. And if we believe that as Christians, that changes everything!

Easter is not a moment to admire from a distance – it is an invitation to step into something real, something living, something personal.

Jesus did not rise from the dead just to prove that He had the power to do it. He rose so that we could rise, too. So that you and I – right here, right now – might walk in the grace of new life. He rose from the dead so that He could defeat the ancient foe. He rose from the dead so that we can experience life everlasting, so that we could live in eternity with the Father.

That is the heart of Easter: the resurrection of Jesus is not just His victory – it is ours. The empty tomb wasn’t just His triumph over death – it was the breaking open of a path for us to walk in freedom and hope.

For those of us who believe in Jesus, those of us who have been claimed by Him through baptism, we have become a new creation through that sacrament. Our old selves have passed away; He has brought us to new life. That is only possible because of the Resurrection, because Jesus opened the door for us to experience the resurrection ourselves. Easter is not just about Jesus getting up from the grave – it’s about US getting up from whatever has been holding us down.

Today, think about those areas of our lives where we desperately need the Lord. How is Jesus desiring to bring about new life for us? What in our lives needs to experience a resurrection? Maybe it’s a relationship that’s been buried in resentment; or a pattern of sin that we’ve come to believe we’ll never be free from; or it could be the heavy weight of discouragement or anxiety, or a fear that’s been keeping us from fully living.

Whatever it is, the Risen Jesus wants to enter into that part of our hearts – not to condemn it, but to redeem it. He wants to bring light into those tombs in our lives. He wants to bring healing into the wounds and scars we carry on our hearts. He wants to bring peace into the areas of turmoil we’re facing.

The Resurrection is not just something we believe – it’s something we live. It’s a reality that we are invited to enter into each and every day. Every time we forgive, every time we choose love over bitterness, every time we bring hope into a dark place, we are living the Resurrection. Every time we fall but get back up again in God’s grace, we are rising with Him. When we experience that resurrection for ourselves, we are led to live a life that is rooted in joy and mercy.

Today is the first day that we get to sing the Alleluia in over 40 long days. Let that Alleluia have weight. Let it represent something. Let it be a reminder that Jesus loves us so much that He willingly gave up His life so that we can be brought to newness of life. Don’t just say that word today…mean it with every fiber of your being. Let it be a prayer of thanksgiving and praise. Let this be the Easter where we not only rejoice in Christ’s resurrection – but also respond to it.

So, a homework assignment for us this week…

Each morning, begin with this simple prayer:
“Jesus, Risen Lord, raise me to new life today.”
Then, ask Him to show you what that looks like, to show you the areas of your heart that He wants to bring life to – and be bold enough to follow where He leads. Maybe it’s reaching out to someone we’ve avoided. Maybe it’s returning to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Or maybe it is finally surrendering that part of our heart we’ve kept hidden from God for long enough.

Let Easter be more than a celebration. Let it be a beginning. A rising. A resurrection. Let Christ bring about new life in us. Because if Jesus is truly risen – and He is – then nothing is impossible! Nothing is beyond hope. Not our past. Not our wounds. Not our fears.

Today, we proclaim that Jesus Christ is risen…and He wants to raise us, as well.

Photo: Empty Tomb, Pisit Heng. April 9, 2020. Used under Unsplash license.