Easter Day

"The Lord is risen"  "He is risen, indeed"
The traditional Easter greeting appears, at least in the circles within I move, to have gone somewhat out of fashion.  Yet those eight words encompass the greatest message that has ever been told among mankind.

It's a message of victory.  Paul writes to the early disciples of Jesus in Corinth: "... thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ." (I Cor 15:57).

It's a message of hope.  In the same letter Paul says "... Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died." (I Cor 15:20)  In other words, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus is not a stand-alone event, but the forerunner of the resurrection to eternal life for all who have placed their trust in Him.  "Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when He comes back." (I Cor 15:22-23).

It's a message of power.  "... the end will come, when He will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power.  For Christ must reign until He humbles all His enemies beneath his feet.  And the last enemy to be destroyed is death.  For the Scriptures say, "God has put all things under His authority." (Of course, when it says "all things are under His authority," that does not include God Himself, who gave Christ His authority.)  Then, when all things are under His authority, the Son will put Himself under God's authority, so that God, Who gave His Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere." (I Cor 15:24-28).

It is a message of reconciliation.  "For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. And He gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation."  (II Cor 5:19).

There's only one relevant question!  It was asked of the people of Jerusalem, by the Roman procurator, Pontius Pilate.  "... what should I do with Jesus Who is called the Messiah?" (Matt 27:22).  On your personal answer to that question, hangs your eternal destiny.  Come to Him, "... Who is the living cornerstone of God's temple." (I Peter 2:4) and, confessing your pwn sinfulness, fall before Him, like Thomas, and acknowledge Him to be your Lord, and your God. (see John 20:28).