Easter Sunday: The Resurrection

"As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 'Don’t be alarmed,' he said. 'You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.'" ~Mark 16:5-6

The completion of Christ's purpose in becoming a lowly servant within human flesh occurred on Easter Sunday. Christ defeated death and rose from the dead. Without this happening, we would never be blessed with the Holy Spirit within us, or have the opportunity to spend eternity with Jesus and God in heaven. It is important to celebrate the joy of this occurrence every Easter because we would have no hope without death being defeated through Christ rising after three days in the tomb. I believe The Newsboys say it best in the song, "God's Not Dead." My favorite line is from the chorus that says, "Our God's not dead, He's surely alive. He's living on the inside, roaring like a lion." This is so true because it expresses how Jesus rose from the dead and is now living in each and every one of His believers in the form of the Holy Spirit.

I was so thankful to be able to spend this Easter with my great aunt and uncle in Michigan. We went to a service at the First United Methodist Church of Kalamazoo that focused on Peter's speech at Cornelius' house within Acts 10:34-43. Peter proclaims that through Jesus' resurrection, the New Covenant belongs to all who believe, Jews and Gentiles alike. This is definitely something to be thankful for and needs to be remembered every Easter. My favorite part of the service was the singing of the Hallelujah Chorus. That just brings home the sheer joy we should all feel from Christ's sacrifice on the cross and rising from the dead and defeating death.