WEBVTT 00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:07.240 He is risen. And what an important phrase that 00:00:07.240 --> 00:00:12.000 is. I know we sometimes push through that, indeed. 00:00:12.619 --> 00:00:15.380 But what an amazing thing to be able to say. 00:00:15.619 --> 00:00:19.440 This is not supposed to be normal. This is not 00:00:19.440 --> 00:00:21.500 something that we are supposed to look at and 00:00:21.500 --> 00:00:24.120 say, oh, it's just another religious phrase. 00:00:24.420 --> 00:00:28.019 This is the thing that is meant to stand apart 00:00:28.019 --> 00:00:32.799 from everything else. Nothing else about anything 00:00:32.799 --> 00:00:36.979 we do as the Christian church means anything 00:00:36.979 --> 00:00:42.399 without Jesus coming back to life. This is the 00:00:42.399 --> 00:00:45.179 moment that the entire story has been pointing 00:00:45.179 --> 00:00:49.899 toward. All year long, every reading, every hymn, 00:00:50.100 --> 00:00:53.340 every reflection, everything in the rhythm of 00:00:53.340 --> 00:00:57.420 our church calendar has led us here. Even the 00:00:57.420 --> 00:01:01.600 events of Christmas. are meant for this moment. 00:01:02.100 --> 00:01:06.620 We begin by remembering the prophets, the proclamations 00:01:06.620 --> 00:01:09.620 of what it is that God desired, that He wanted 00:01:09.620 --> 00:01:12.239 His people to follow Him, and that over and over, 00:01:12.379 --> 00:01:17.480 the people constantly fell short. And over time, 00:01:17.579 --> 00:01:21.200 to begin to almost give up, is there anything, 00:01:21.359 --> 00:01:25.939 is there any hope other than failure and wondering 00:01:25.939 --> 00:01:29.590 if God could ever love us? how often it is to 00:01:29.590 --> 00:01:32.730 hear the very people saying, can you be merciful 00:01:32.730 --> 00:01:37.409 to me, a poor sinful being? And God says yes. 00:01:37.810 --> 00:01:41.250 Because we arrive at the Christ. We see His birth. 00:01:41.390 --> 00:01:45.150 We see His life. We see Him begin to change everything. 00:01:45.549 --> 00:01:50.250 To speak about the Kingdom of God. To show us 00:01:50.250 --> 00:01:54.930 the radical teaching. God might someday be with 00:01:54.930 --> 00:01:58.530 us if we could somehow get everything in our 00:01:58.530 --> 00:02:02.129 act together. But rather that He has chosen to 00:02:02.129 --> 00:02:06.150 be with us because He loves us. To restore everything 00:02:06.150 --> 00:02:09.409 that we have broken by His love, by His grace, 00:02:09.550 --> 00:02:14.520 by His life, by His light. And with that... we 00:02:14.520 --> 00:02:17.060 begin to see that we are no longer bound to the 00:02:17.060 --> 00:02:20.139 old expectations, the old pressures, the old 00:02:20.139 --> 00:02:23.300 systems, the old ways of trying to measure up 00:02:23.300 --> 00:02:26.919 to something that we were never going to fulfill. 00:02:27.879 --> 00:02:31.819 Jesus didn't come to add more rules to make us 00:02:31.819 --> 00:02:35.780 feel like we could never measure up. He came 00:02:35.780 --> 00:02:42.060 to show that the old system is gone. But then... 00:02:41.870 --> 00:02:46.409 Those who wanted to hold on to the old way take 00:02:46.409 --> 00:02:51.569 him to the cross to be done with this crazy fanatic 00:02:51.569 --> 00:02:55.210 who was trying to relieve people of the pressure 00:02:55.210 --> 00:02:58.370 of never feeling like they could ever add up 00:02:58.370 --> 00:03:02.030 and It looks like that is the end as they have 00:03:02.030 --> 00:03:05.629 put him on that cross and he has died Right in 00:03:05.629 --> 00:03:10.379 front of them. There is no doubt that his life 00:03:10.379 --> 00:03:14.500 is gone as the spear has plunged inside of him. 00:03:15.500 --> 00:03:19.460 But what do we see? As he is saying, it is finished, 00:03:20.039 --> 00:03:27.020 complete, done. This does not mean the end of 00:03:27.020 --> 00:03:31.740 the story. Because death, it would not hold him. 00:03:32.199 --> 00:03:35.120 And now He has risen and everything after this, 00:03:35.439 --> 00:03:38.360 everything we do as the church, everything is 00:03:38.360 --> 00:03:41.360 about what that means instead of running from 00:03:41.360 --> 00:03:45.379 God. And you know how many of you have been running 00:03:45.379 --> 00:03:51.240 from God. And I know so have I. We are drawn 00:03:51.240 --> 00:03:56.379 back to Him with forgiveness, with grace, with 00:03:56.379 --> 00:03:59.580 life renewed. with the open arms of the Father 00:03:59.580 --> 00:04:04.699 to the prodigal. It is all here. And yet, even 00:04:04.699 --> 00:04:09.979 knowing this, even when we hear it, how often 00:04:09.979 --> 00:04:13.659 is there still that moment for so many of us 00:04:13.659 --> 00:04:19.240 when we listen and we say, wait, what? Where 00:04:19.240 --> 00:04:22.740 did that come from? He already said it was finished 00:04:22.740 --> 00:04:26.319 when he died. Wasn't the sacrifice the whole 00:04:26.319 --> 00:04:30.879 point? Isn't that supposed to be it? The resurrection, 00:04:31.019 --> 00:04:35.699 it can still surprise us. We've heard the stories. 00:04:35.759 --> 00:04:38.720 We've read the prophecies. We've been going through 00:04:38.720 --> 00:04:42.420 this for months at a time. But in the moment, 00:04:43.699 --> 00:04:47.980 it's almost unbelievable. See, sometimes it feels 00:04:47.980 --> 00:04:52.259 like the story took a turn that we did not expect. 00:04:52.980 --> 00:04:57.540 And here's the thing. Sometimes, stories end 00:04:57.540 --> 00:05:01.939 in ways that may make us think that that came 00:05:01.939 --> 00:05:07.139 out of nowhere. How many of you? Raise your hand. 00:05:07.360 --> 00:05:09.939 How many of you watched Happy Days back in the 00:05:09.939 --> 00:05:13.779 day? And you're wondering year after year, where 00:05:13.779 --> 00:05:16.680 is this even going to go? Fonzie with his leather 00:05:16.680 --> 00:05:19.620 jacket standing at the jukebox, hitting it and 00:05:19.620 --> 00:05:22.300 making sure the song plays and flirting with 00:05:22.300 --> 00:05:25.709 some girl nearby? And then all of a sudden, you 00:05:25.709 --> 00:05:30.569 see him on water skis literally jumping a shark. 00:05:31.329 --> 00:05:34.930 Because the writers have no idea what to do with 00:05:34.930 --> 00:05:37.889 the next part of the story. And yes, that is 00:05:37.889 --> 00:05:41.269 exactly where the phrase comes from. And if we're 00:05:41.269 --> 00:05:44.430 not careful, that's what many people may think 00:05:44.430 --> 00:05:48.230 the resurrection is in the Christian story. Some 00:05:48.230 --> 00:05:53.290 last minute twist to try to avoid feeling defeated. 00:05:53.790 --> 00:05:57.629 after the religious leaders had gotten Jesus 00:05:57.629 --> 00:06:01.730 killed. Like adding a final section to the Gospel 00:06:01.730 --> 00:06:04.730 of Mark and thinking it was added just because 00:06:04.730 --> 00:06:08.189 they wanted some better story. Because they didn't 00:06:08.189 --> 00:06:11.350 like the way that it was ending. But no, that 00:06:11.350 --> 00:06:14.670 is not what this is. Because the story is going 00:06:14.670 --> 00:06:18.230 exactly where it was always supposed to go. From 00:06:18.230 --> 00:06:21.759 the very beginning. It's not going off. the rails. 00:06:21.939 --> 00:06:25.240 It's more like how I met your mother. And spending 00:06:25.240 --> 00:06:28.879 nine years wondering why it seems to be all about 00:06:28.879 --> 00:06:31.779 Robin instead of the mother. And finally, the 00:06:31.779 --> 00:06:35.600 conclusion comes and it all finally makes sense. 00:06:36.360 --> 00:06:40.079 The resurrection was not some last minute improvisation 00:06:40.079 --> 00:06:43.399 to try to save the story. It's the fulfillment 00:06:43.399 --> 00:06:47.769 of God's plan. The angel doesn't say, hey, I've 00:06:47.769 --> 00:06:51.449 got a new story for you. He says remember how 00:06:51.449 --> 00:06:56.250 He told you. We see it in all of the prophets 00:06:56.250 --> 00:06:59.709 that had come for centuries. God had left these 00:06:59.709 --> 00:07:03.370 breadcrumbs for us in Scripture. Psalm 16, you 00:07:03.370 --> 00:07:06.329 will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your 00:07:06.329 --> 00:07:09.730 Holy One see corruption. God's Holy One would 00:07:09.730 --> 00:07:13.259 not stay dead long enough to decay. Or Isaiah 00:07:13.259 --> 00:07:16.420 53 describing the suffering servant. After he 00:07:16.420 --> 00:07:19.480 has suffered, he will see the light of life, 00:07:19.660 --> 00:07:22.819 because death is not the final word. Or Hosea 00:07:22.819 --> 00:07:26.120 6 -2. After two days, he will revive us, and 00:07:26.120 --> 00:07:30.180 on the third day, he will raise us up. Jonah's 00:07:30.180 --> 00:07:32.819 three days in the belly of the fish became a 00:07:32.819 --> 00:07:36.660 sign of Christ's own time in the tomb. The descent, 00:07:36.980 --> 00:07:39.660 the confinement, the return to life. And Psalm 00:07:39.660 --> 00:07:44.360 22. which begins with despair and ends with vindication 00:07:44.360 --> 00:07:47.279 for the suffering servant. The story of suffering 00:07:47.279 --> 00:07:51.439 becomes a story of hope and proclamation. Even 00:07:51.439 --> 00:07:54.839 for those who are standing at the cross though, 00:07:55.420 --> 00:07:58.480 all of this was hard to see. Could we blame them? 00:07:59.660 --> 00:08:04.339 Life. Life is overwhelming. We struggle to see 00:08:04.339 --> 00:08:07.360 the forest for the trees. What is right in front 00:08:07.360 --> 00:08:11.079 of us oftentimes makes us forget what is happening 00:08:11.079 --> 00:08:14.300 in the larger picture. How could they remember 00:08:14.300 --> 00:08:18.060 every prophecy, every word, every sign, every 00:08:18.060 --> 00:08:22.399 teaching that pointed to a resurrection? They 00:08:22.399 --> 00:08:26.399 had just lost someone they loved. And when we 00:08:26.399 --> 00:08:29.579 lose someone we love, how often it is that everything 00:08:29.579 --> 00:08:34.299 else just falls apart. They got busy. We need 00:08:34.299 --> 00:08:36.919 to go to the tomb. We need to bring spices. We 00:08:36.919 --> 00:08:39.740 need to stay in hiding since we might be next. 00:08:40.379 --> 00:08:43.919 Life keeps moving even when everything feels 00:08:43.919 --> 00:08:47.120 like it shouldn't. And sometimes we don't face 00:08:47.120 --> 00:08:49.720 what we need to face because we just don't have 00:08:49.720 --> 00:08:53.580 it in us. And then there is grief. There is fear. 00:08:53.879 --> 00:08:56.539 There is stress. There are all the things that 00:08:56.539 --> 00:08:59.559 take our minds off of the things that are larger 00:08:59.559 --> 00:09:03.860 and more important. They weren't careless. They 00:09:03.860 --> 00:09:08.379 were overwhelmed. And sometimes you're just too 00:09:08.379 --> 00:09:13.100 close to it. They were in the crucifixion, not 00:09:13.100 --> 00:09:15.840 reading it like a story in a book. They were 00:09:15.840 --> 00:09:18.779 living inside of the story. You can't always 00:09:18.779 --> 00:09:22.960 see clearly when you're that close to it. So 00:09:22.960 --> 00:09:25.500 could we really blame them for not putting it 00:09:25.500 --> 00:09:28.299 all together? for not seeing how every prophecy, 00:09:28.460 --> 00:09:32.279 every teaching, every moment was pointing right 00:09:32.279 --> 00:09:38.179 here. That He would suffer. That He would die. 00:09:38.720 --> 00:09:44.679 And that He would rise on the third day. When 00:09:44.679 --> 00:09:48.720 we think about it, aren't we the same? It's easy 00:09:48.720 --> 00:09:51.799 for us to forget even the everyday things in 00:09:51.799 --> 00:09:55.360 life, isn't it? In the midst of life, of our 00:09:55.360 --> 00:09:59.720 routines. We forget the things that matter. The 00:09:59.720 --> 00:10:01.840 friendships in the loved ones that drift away. 00:10:02.019 --> 00:10:05.299 We forget to care for ourselves. The exercise 00:10:05.299 --> 00:10:08.419 plans that we swore was going to work three months 00:10:08.419 --> 00:10:10.919 ago. The sleep we're supposed to be getting. 00:10:11.340 --> 00:10:14.440 Eating better. All the things. We forget our 00:10:14.440 --> 00:10:17.820 patience. We forget our integrity. We forget 00:10:17.820 --> 00:10:20.919 our character and even the moral compass that 00:10:20.919 --> 00:10:24.629 we were raised with so often. We are so caught 00:10:24.629 --> 00:10:29.610 up in other people's anger and issues, telling 00:10:29.610 --> 00:10:32.649 us how we're supposed to constantly be not only 00:10:32.649 --> 00:10:35.730 angry and mortified and completely frustrated 00:10:35.730 --> 00:10:38.490 with our neighbor, but also telling us which 00:10:38.490 --> 00:10:41.149 people are our enemies and that we should turn 00:10:41.149 --> 00:10:44.049 on them and constantly look for battles to fight 00:10:44.049 --> 00:10:47.529 that are not actually there, forgetting the very 00:10:47.529 --> 00:10:52.820 character that Christ Himself displayed. As believers 00:10:52.820 --> 00:10:57.220 in Christ, we still end up forgetting what matters 00:10:57.220 --> 00:11:02.120 the most. The resurrection. The new life. The 00:11:02.120 --> 00:11:06.899 old being buried. The new coming back again. 00:11:07.820 --> 00:11:12.539 Fulfilled. Restored. Whether we were baptized 00:11:12.539 --> 00:11:15.500 as an adult and said, hey, this is the beginning 00:11:15.500 --> 00:11:19.500 of my new life, and then we slowly start to forget 00:11:19.500 --> 00:11:23.419 it. Or maybe we were baptized as a child and 00:11:23.419 --> 00:11:26.340 never had the memory of it, and it doesn't stand 00:11:26.340 --> 00:11:29.659 out the same way when we confirm our faith up 00:11:29.659 --> 00:11:32.840 here. Whichever it may be, it's not that there 00:11:32.840 --> 00:11:36.779 is no sincerity there. But it's not active the 00:11:36.779 --> 00:11:40.720 same way it once was. We don't remember what 00:11:40.720 --> 00:11:45.080 type of people to be ourselves when life gets 00:11:45.080 --> 00:11:49.419 loud, when life gets busy, when life gets heavy. 00:11:49.840 --> 00:11:53.580 Yet even when we forget what matters most, when 00:11:53.580 --> 00:11:59.460 we forget God's will, God does not forget us. 00:12:00.759 --> 00:12:04.080 God's plan unfolded exactly as He had promised. 00:12:04.820 --> 00:12:07.379 Even when the people were too close to see it, 00:12:07.799 --> 00:12:10.240 God had been writing the plan all along. This 00:12:10.240 --> 00:12:13.120 was not an afterthought. This was not an oops, 00:12:13.320 --> 00:12:16.500 this went the wrong way. Let's fix it. The cross 00:12:16.500 --> 00:12:20.200 was never meant to be the final chapter. It was 00:12:20.200 --> 00:12:24.440 always meant to be the one that came before the 00:12:24.440 --> 00:12:27.759 resurrection, because the tomb was never the 00:12:27.759 --> 00:12:32.320 last page. Jesus did not pause until everyone 00:12:32.320 --> 00:12:36.500 understood though. He didn't delay until everybody 00:12:36.500 --> 00:12:39.320 could finally be ready. He went to the cross 00:12:39.320 --> 00:12:41.960 and fulfilled what He had promised to do for 00:12:41.960 --> 00:12:45.159 us, resurrection and life. And if this had been 00:12:45.159 --> 00:12:49.159 about proving a point, It could have looked so 00:12:49.159 --> 00:12:53.100 very different. He did not die just to guilt 00:12:53.100 --> 00:12:57.419 us into obeying better. You didn't obey enough, 00:12:57.559 --> 00:13:00.779 so I will allow myself to die, and now you're 00:13:00.779 --> 00:13:02.860 going to feel bad enough that you're going to 00:13:02.860 --> 00:13:05.480 do it. He didn't die to show off how righteous 00:13:05.480 --> 00:13:08.600 He was so that we would have to prove ourselves. 00:13:08.820 --> 00:13:12.440 The Gospel is not, look how righteous Jesus was 00:13:12.440 --> 00:13:15.559 and He got punished. Now feel bad and try to 00:13:15.559 --> 00:13:18.210 live up to Him. And it's not even Jesus died 00:13:18.210 --> 00:13:20.870 for you. The least you can do is live for Him. 00:13:21.470 --> 00:13:25.269 Sounds great, right? But that was the old religious 00:13:25.269 --> 00:13:29.509 system that Jesus came to challenge and to destroy. 00:13:30.309 --> 00:13:33.649 Everything they tried, mocking Him, shaming Him, 00:13:33.889 --> 00:13:39.950 killing Him, could not stop God's plan. Evil 00:13:39.950 --> 00:13:44.210 could not, would not have the last word. The 00:13:44.210 --> 00:13:47.860 Gospel is about life. Life that triumphs over 00:13:47.860 --> 00:13:52.679 death. Life that defeats sin. He died to defeat 00:13:52.679 --> 00:13:56.080 death, to destroy sin, and to bring everlasting 00:13:56.080 --> 00:14:00.940 life to all who trust in Him. Life that is given 00:14:00.940 --> 00:14:04.559 to us freely. Because God said, I will conquer 00:14:04.559 --> 00:14:07.600 evil with good. I will end death with life everlasting. 00:14:07.879 --> 00:14:10.700 I will begin with My Son whom you crucified, 00:14:11.000 --> 00:14:16.059 and through Him you will have life too. And if 00:14:16.059 --> 00:14:19.460 death does not get the last word over him, it 00:14:19.460 --> 00:14:23.019 does not get the last word over you. This is 00:14:23.019 --> 00:14:26.639 the start of everything new. Without the resurrection, 00:14:27.559 --> 00:14:31.179 life would be simple. It'd be so ordinary. We 00:14:31.179 --> 00:14:34.320 as Christians could just blend in. We could blend 00:14:34.320 --> 00:14:36.840 in with all the other religions and say it's 00:14:36.840 --> 00:14:40.899 just about being good people and follow the routines 00:14:40.899 --> 00:14:44.870 and play it safe and be good people. and move 00:14:44.870 --> 00:14:48.909 through the world just acting without thinking 00:14:48.909 --> 00:14:53.429 about life beyond this very moment. Just focusing 00:14:53.429 --> 00:14:58.009 on the here and now like everyone else. But the 00:14:58.009 --> 00:15:02.929 resurrection says no. Our life is more than just 00:15:02.929 --> 00:15:06.289 this life now. We have been given life everlasting. 00:15:06.590 --> 00:15:10.470 This is the beginning. Even when we die, this 00:15:10.470 --> 00:15:13.620 is still just the beginning. And even for those 00:15:13.620 --> 00:15:17.539 of us who have lost loved ones so recently, it 00:15:17.539 --> 00:15:19.960 is good to know that now is the beginning of 00:15:19.960 --> 00:15:23.899 where new life begins. Because death is defeated. 00:15:24.139 --> 00:15:28.100 Sin is forgiven. Hope is not fragile. This changes 00:15:28.100 --> 00:15:31.620 everything. The sins that we have committed, 00:15:31.940 --> 00:15:35.500 the mistakes that we will make, they do not define 00:15:35.500 --> 00:15:39.659 us. God has already loved us enough to raise 00:15:39.659 --> 00:15:42.789 His Son. He has already seen us at our worst 00:15:42.789 --> 00:15:45.929 and loved us so much that when He brought His 00:15:45.929 --> 00:15:49.730 Son back to life, that became the beginning of 00:15:49.730 --> 00:15:52.830 life for us as well. Because if He could love 00:15:52.830 --> 00:15:56.049 us that much when we are in the midst of killing 00:15:56.049 --> 00:15:59.929 His own Son, how much more does He love us when 00:15:59.929 --> 00:16:04.330 He has now brought His Son back to life and that 00:16:04.330 --> 00:16:07.990 death no longer holds the last word. You have 00:16:07.990 --> 00:16:12.169 now heard the truth. And there is nothing else 00:16:12.169 --> 00:16:15.850 that I can share. Your life so often tries to 00:16:15.850 --> 00:16:18.850 distract you from that. So often it is that there 00:16:18.850 --> 00:16:21.169 are so many things that will try to pull you 00:16:21.169 --> 00:16:24.909 down and away from that message, from that reality, 00:16:24.990 --> 00:16:28.750 from that life. And that's why we're here today. 00:16:29.970 --> 00:16:32.690 That's why we are here this morning. To bring 00:16:32.690 --> 00:16:35.289 us back to what the Gospel truly is. Because 00:16:35.289 --> 00:16:38.960 the Gospel is the resurrection. And it's not 00:16:38.960 --> 00:16:41.120 just to prove that all things Jesus said was 00:16:41.120 --> 00:16:43.820 right. It's not just to try to say, oh, see, 00:16:44.019 --> 00:16:47.700 He won. No, it is to bring us into that life 00:16:47.700 --> 00:16:52.200 ourselves. It's for us. It is to bring us not 00:16:52.200 --> 00:16:55.240 into just the memory of what God has done, something 00:16:55.240 --> 00:16:58.899 2 ,000 years ago, but to bring us into a story 00:16:58.899 --> 00:17:02.440 of life everlasting today. Because even when 00:17:02.440 --> 00:17:05.480 you failed, and even when you will fail again, 00:17:05.700 --> 00:17:08.480 and even when you're not sure that you are ever 00:17:08.480 --> 00:17:13.339 enough, God has already acted in love. He raised 00:17:13.339 --> 00:17:16.180 His Son, proving that death does not have that 00:17:16.180 --> 00:17:19.160 last word, and through that same Son, He offers 00:17:19.160 --> 00:17:24.759 new life to you. The cross could have been the 00:17:24.759 --> 00:17:29.279 end, but the resurrection is the beginning. Your 00:17:29.279 --> 00:17:33.420 life now carries this promise. Everything is 00:17:33.420 --> 00:17:38.099 new. Every day. Every choice. Every moment shaped 00:17:38.099 --> 00:17:40.839 by the reality of Christ's victory. Every grief. 00:17:41.140 --> 00:17:46.339 Every fear. Every doubt. Nothing can undo it. 00:17:46.759 --> 00:17:50.700 Because you know, it's easy every day to forget 00:17:50.700 --> 00:17:53.599 what really matters. It is easy to get caught 00:17:53.599 --> 00:17:57.460 up in our work, our relationships, our anger. 00:17:57.690 --> 00:18:01.710 our frustration, more than just whether we are 00:18:01.710 --> 00:18:04.470 here on a Sunday morning, but even just in our 00:18:04.470 --> 00:18:07.769 everyday life. We forget the people who matter, 00:18:08.369 --> 00:18:11.630 even those in our own communities. We forget 00:18:11.630 --> 00:18:16.089 to care even for ourselves. We forget our patience. 00:18:16.789 --> 00:18:20.710 We forget our integrity. We forget what we believe 00:18:20.710 --> 00:18:27.119 in. We forget sometimes whom we believe in. But 00:18:27.119 --> 00:18:32.740 the resurrection bursts in anyway. It doesn't 00:18:32.740 --> 00:18:35.900 wait for us to remember. It doesn't pause for 00:18:35.900 --> 00:18:39.079 us to catch up. It is a reality we step into 00:18:39.079 --> 00:18:43.460 whether we're ready or not. Because the disciples, 00:18:44.220 --> 00:18:47.779 they were also confused, frightened, overwhelmed, 00:18:48.039 --> 00:18:51.700 and still the resurrection came. The promises 00:18:51.700 --> 00:18:54.059 of God were fulfilled right before their eyes. 00:18:54.720 --> 00:18:58.759 We often need reminding just like they did. So 00:18:58.759 --> 00:19:03.440 the reminder is this. Christ lives. And everything 00:19:03.440 --> 00:19:07.500 is new. Even when we don't understand. Even when 00:19:07.500 --> 00:19:10.380 life seems too hard. Jesus keeps His promise. 00:19:10.640 --> 00:19:13.019 The good news of Easter is not that we fully 00:19:13.019 --> 00:19:15.900 understand God. The good news is that even when 00:19:15.900 --> 00:19:18.720 we forget, even when we struggle, even when life 00:19:18.720 --> 00:19:23.470 is loud and confusing, And fear feels louder 00:19:23.470 --> 00:19:28.130 than faith. Jesus keeps His Word. And He goes 00:19:28.130 --> 00:19:32.109 to the cross. He rises again. The tomb is empty. 00:19:32.390 --> 00:19:35.069 What looked like loss was actually a promise 00:19:35.069 --> 00:19:38.910 unfolding all along. The resurrection reminds 00:19:38.910 --> 00:19:43.349 us of God's promises. You belong to Him. You 00:19:43.349 --> 00:19:48.029 are His child. And nothing, nothing can take 00:19:48.029 --> 00:19:52.680 that away. We belong to Him. We are His children. 00:19:53.059 --> 00:19:55.680 Sin does not define us. Death does not have that 00:19:55.680 --> 00:19:59.500 final word. Hope is not fragile. Even grief, 00:19:59.740 --> 00:20:03.960 even fear, even doubt cannot undo reality shaped 00:20:03.960 --> 00:20:07.519 by resurrection and everything Christ has done. 00:20:09.180 --> 00:20:15.920 So, let me end with this. I don't know what brought 00:20:15.920 --> 00:20:20.660 you here today. It could have been that Easter 00:20:20.660 --> 00:20:23.140 is one of those fancy holidays that Christians 00:20:23.140 --> 00:20:28.039 do. Why not go check it out? It could be because 00:20:28.039 --> 00:20:30.759 you would just love an opportunity to feel something 00:20:30.759 --> 00:20:34.680 special today. Maybe the butterflies. Maybe the 00:20:34.680 --> 00:20:38.200 children. Maybe whatever we might be thinking 00:20:38.200 --> 00:20:46.039 might somehow inspire us. But right now, salvation 00:20:46.039 --> 00:20:51.309 is for you. And if you want that salvation, it 00:20:51.309 --> 00:20:57.349 is yours. If you trust Christ Jesus today, that 00:20:57.349 --> 00:21:01.710 life everlasting is for you. Because He is risen! 00:21:05.029 --> 00:21:06.049 Thanks be to God.