Easter is the pinnacle of our faith. We desperately need Easter. So many times we focus on the cross. We wear cross necklaces, have crosses on our churches, hold up crosses in times of fear or spiritual battles – and we should. There is power in the cross. Without the cross, we would be dead in our sins and transgressions. Jesus paid the price for our sins – on the cross. The cross will always be at the heart of salvation. Yet, the cross is not the end of the story.
If the Gospel was only about the cross, then we would be forgiven but we would still be dead. Our sins would be atoned for, but we would still be beholden to death. There is a worship song that says, “The cross has the final word.” And, while this is a good song to sing, it is not theologically correct. The cross does not have the final word – Jesus has the final word. And, our Jesus is not dead on a cross. Our Jesus, our Savior, is alive. While we see many crucifixes around various churches, Jesus is not still on the cross. Jesus conquered death. We do not serve a dead Jesus, but a Risen Savior.
This is why we so desperately need Easter. Easter is Life. Easter is Hope. Easter means – God wins! When it looked like evil had triumphed, when it looked like evil had won, Jesus was dead on that cross. God was doing something so much bigger – so much greater! God was making a way for each of us to come alive in Christ. Jesus conquered death and made a way for each of us to have eternal life!
Many times in our life it may look like evil is winning. This has been a really tough last few weeks here in our own community. From a school shooting of innocent children to the death of nine soldiers as two helicopters collided in a training mission, to tornados and storms that left paths of destruction. So often we feel like death is imminent and there is no hope or help. Sometimes life can get the best of us. We find ourselves, or our kids find themselves, living in fear. From what we can see, our problems seem overwhelming.
But God. Easter shows us that no matter how dire the situation, our God is greater. Our God will win in the end. Our call is to stay faithful and watch God do what only God can do. To know that no matter how bad it gets that God is doing something bigger and greater than we can see or even imagine. Our God does His greatest work in the darkest times.
After the shooting at Covenant School, there have been five funerals – the sixth funeral is today. Three precious children and three godly, brave adults. The reports from every funeral thus far are that they have been the most hope-filled, joy-filled services that many have ever attended. Why? How can this be in such a tragedy? Easter. What Jesus did for us not only on the cross but because of the empty tomb means that this life is not all that there is. Evil does not win. God triumphs along with all of us who put our hope in Him.
It’s Easter. God wins! Hope has sprung and eternal life is here. Eternity doesn’t begin when we die, but it begins when we accept Jesus as the personal Lord and Savior of our life. In baptism, we show that we were buried with Him in death but then made alive in Him through the Resurrection. We desperately need Easter every year and every day. Especially this Easter, let’s be people who worship with the renewed commitment of faith in a Savior who conquered death so that we could spend eternity with Him. “Where O death is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to our God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:55-57
This Easter, let’s worship our Risen Savior! Let’s bring Him our best and invite others to Him. We desperately need Easter for this life and for the life to come. And, Easter shows us good triumphs over evil. Don’t lose heart. Hold tight to Jesus, and always know – God wins!