He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay – Matthew 28:6

Resurrection Sunday. First came the pain of Friday, then came the victory of Sunday. After three days of silence and darkness, the grave is empty and death has been defeated. Jesus has conquered the final battle, death, and made a way for freedom and eternal life for us. It sounds crazy, this tale that a man would lay dead for three days and then be resurrected back to life and raised to heaven. But this isn’t a crazy story and Jesus wasn’t just any man, He was the Son of God; the One that left heaven so that He could show us the way to eternal life with our heavenly Father. In all my years, I have made many mistakes and have a list of regrets, but giving my heart and dedicating my life to Jesus eleven years ago is not one of them. No, I have never regretted it. It hasn’t been easy and it hasn’t been smooth, but it has been worth it because I have encountered His love so deeply that it’s changed me from the inside out. And that is my prayer for you: that if you haven’t already, you would encounter His love so deeply that it brings you to your knees in awe and wonder and changes you from the inside out. And if you already know this Jesus, my prayer is that you go deeper still; that you press in this Easter and experience Him in a new way that will replenish your soul and have you chasing after Him harder than before.

Victory and love and eternal life is here, and it has a name: Jesus.

Father, we thank you for the victory of the empty tomb. While death had thought it had the last laugh, Jesus came back to life and took away the sting of death. We thank you that Jesus sits at Your right hand, ever advocating for us and guiding us home. We thank you for the sacrifice and pain you experienced while Jesus was in the grave so that we could be reconciled with you. Thank you for your love, Lord. Thank you for eternal life. In the unshakeable name of Jesus, amen.