​Happy Easter Sunday!  Christ is risen; He is risen indeed! This is cause for great rejoicing among the saints.  The grave is empty.  Death has been defeated.  Jesus Christ has won

For over two millennia, Christians around the world and from all walks of life have taken time to remember and reflect on Jesus’ sacrifice on this day—Good Friday.  While Resurrection Sunday celebrates the ultimate victory and new life with the empty tomb and vacant cross, Good Friday comes first.  This day can only be called good because through it our redemption was bought; however, for those present on that day it was far from good. 

​Today marks the start of Passion Week.  A point on the calendar when Christians over the past couple millennia take time to remember and reflect on the final week of Jesus before His crucifixion.  A lot took place in this monumental week, which was the pinnacle of Jesus’ three-year earthly ministry.  From Palm Sunday to Resurrection Sunday, history was forever changed.  In the course of one seven-day period, Jesus went from being the people’s favorite to their worst criminal to exalted, risen Son of God.  Therefore, let us take some time this week to meditate, study, and remember the journey Jesus took to purchase our redemption—the sacrifices He made, the pain He suffered, and the glory He received when He conquered death.
 
The week began with a great start.  The crowds loved Jesus.  They followed Him faithfully and on that sunny day that has since become known as Palm Sunday, they seized the opportunity to tell the world exactly what they thought of Jesus.

​Our world has changed dramatically over the ages, but one thing remains the same:  after every sunset comes a glorious new sunrise.  After a period of darkness, light shines anew.  This is a constant truth both in the physical world and the spiritual one. Out of the stillness of that first Easter morning came the cry of victory as the ground shook and the stone was moved to reveal an empty tomb.  

​Since COVID-19 has disrupted our normal schedule and routine, my family and I have been joining the online gatherings of two different churches.  One of them is Southeast Christian with Pastor Kyle Idleman.  His name might sound familiar to you because he wrote the bestseller, Not A Fan.  Now he’s the senior pastor of one of the largest churches in America. 
 
Kyle Idleman has been preaching a series called “Reverse the Curse,” which delves into what happened during Adam and Eve’s sin in Genesis 3, the subsequent fall out and consequences that we’re still dealing with today, and the glorious revelation that Jesus is the great curse reverser.  Jesus reverses the curse of sin and gives us new life in Him.  He takes what was broken and makes it whole.  He brings beauty from ashes and breathes new life to what was once dead.

​Happy Resurrection Sunday!  Christ is risen!  He’s risen indeed!
 
As we celebrate this blessed day, let’s pause and take a moment to cast our minds back to that glorious morning over two thousand years ago.  Picture the scene.  All was dark, but then the sun began to peak over the horizon and to cast a golden glow upon a Judean hillside which held a tomb.  A tomb with a stone that was rolled away.  A tomb that once held the crucified Christ.  A tomb that was now empty.

​Today is Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter.  It marks the beginning of Passion Week and all that is remembered and celebrated.  However, let’s go back in time to the first Palm Sunday and remember what actually happened on that memorable day in Jerusalem.

​Today is a day of celebration, praise, and worship of our Savior and King who conquered death and defeated Satan on that glorious Sunday two thousand years ago.  What a reason to celebrate and rejoice!  Because of Him we have eternal hope!

​A stone rolled away…an empty tomb...abandoned burial rags…a missing body…
 
These timeless reminders of Resurrection Sunday and the events that took place often lose their luster and become ordinary, expected, and predictable, especially if you’re like me and grew up in a Christian home.  We become so familiar with these icons of Christianity that they lose their wonder, awe, and splendor in our eyes.  But this should not be!  We should never grow weary and calloused to the glory, awe, and miracle of the empty tomb, but must remind ourselves of what really took place and become re-amazed by the wonder of it all.

​Two pieces of wood, one planted vertically and the other attached horizontally two-thirds up the first.  Once a symbol of Roman cruelty and torture, now an emblem of divine love, the simple image of the cross holds much meaning and significance.  Especially today, as we remember and hold sacred the sacrifice of Jesus’ blood poured out for us.