“Do not be afraid, for I know you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead …” Matthew 28:5-7 (ESV)
What glorious words to hear during this Easter season. Just imagine how surprised and confused these women felt after hearing these words. Although Jesus previously professed the resurrection to his disciples, no one expected him to come back from the grave. All of Jesus’ followers were scared and dejected—from the Twelve to the Disciples on the Road to Emmaus. Can you blame them? They saw their Savior and King crucified on Good Friday.
On that Easter Morning, these women didn’t expect to find the tomb empty. Their intent was to prepare Jesus’ body for burial. Fortunately, they found an empty tomb. They even heard from an angel that Jesus is risen! Two thousand years later, we should all joyfully say those same words. The central claim of Christianity is the resurrection. I am a Christian because of the undeniable fact that Jesus is alive. The resurrection is a historical event. Everything flows from that truth. Let us to take comfort and joy in knowing that Jesus is alive.
Please dear reader, remember that we have hope because Jesus is alive. Jesus conquered sin, death, and the devil for us sinners. We will enjoy eternal life with our Savior because of His Death and Resurrection. He paid the price for us sinners, and for that I am eternally thankful.
I look forward to the day when Christ comes again and resurrects all the saints throughout the ages. May we proclaim Jesus’ death and resurrection until he comes again! Amen.
Well, thanks for reading my sermonette. I hope that you all had a wonderful Easter Sunday at Church and with your families. I felt called to make a post this week about Easter—the most holy season in the Christian calendar. Easter is personally my favorite holiday because it’s focused on the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the remainder of this post, I will regale what Easter has meant to me as a childhood and as a young man in 2021.
Fond Memories of Easter
I fondly recall all the good memories of Easter Sundays in my childhood: waking up early to see the Easter bunny’s gifts, getting dressed to the nines, and going to Atonement Lutheran Church with my family for Easter Sunday. At Church, I celebrated the Lord Jesus’ resurrection with my aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and the rest of the congregation. Going to a Lutheran Church on Easter Sunday is like going back in time to the 16th century. Hearing the loud thunder of the organ and the congregation singing along to the hymns is truly a glorious experience.
After the Church Service, my family would go to my great-grandparents’ house for an Easter Egg hunt. I am oh so grateful for those wonderful childhood memories on Easter Sunday.
Now that I am twenty-one year-old college boy, times have changed. I have spent two of the last three Easter Sundays at my College Church—St Paul Lutheran in Fort Worth, Texas. I actually was home for Easter (2020) last year due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Unfortunately, pretty much all Churches were closed for Easter Sunday at this time last year.
Personally, I did not find Easter Sunday last year to be enjoyable. Watching Church over the Internet is not what God intended for us to do on Easter Sunday. Nevertheless, here we are in April 2021. It’s been two whole years since American Christians have gathered in Church for an Easter Sunday worship service. But, I am so thankful that I spent this past Sunday celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The Beauty of Easter in 2021
My pastor at my college Church (i.e. St. Paul Lutheran–Fort Worth) once quipped that we’ve been in Lent for the past year. He was definitely spot-on with his assessment.
The late Spring of last year (2020) felt like a spiritual stupor. No Holy Communion, no Sunday Morning Bible Study, no in-person preaching, no hymns. Christian Churches all around the country scrambled to provide online services to provide just a little bit of spiritual nourishment to their congregations. Many Christians did not start coming back to Church even as many Churches opened up during the summer of 2020.
But here we are. Jesus is risen today. I can actually say those words and truly feel it. Last year, many Christians had a tough time feeling joyful on Easter Sunday 2020. As tough as 2020 might have been (and 2021 has not started too hot to be honest), Jesus was and still is the King of Kings. He was in complete control even as things have seemingly fallen apart in our lives and in our country. But at the end of the day, we still have Jesus despite what this sinful world throws at us.
Easter 2021 is such a beautiful time because we have new life in Jesus. Dark times may be before, behind, or right in front of us and our country. As Christians, we don’t have anything to fear because Jesus rose from the dead on Easter Sunday. That’s the beauty of Easter in 2021. If there’s one takeaway from this post, it is that we know that Jesus is still alive