He is Risen

He is Risen

It starts before the sun comes up. Not with celebration. Not with music. Not with certainty.

With grief. The women are walking toward the tomb carrying spices, not hope. They’re not expecting a miracle. They’re expecting to finish what Friday started. To care for a body. To say a final goodbye.

That’s where Sunday begins. And honestly, that’s where a lot of us live. Doing what we know to do. Carrying what we’ve been given. Not expecting much to change.

Then everything shifts. The stone is already rolled away. The tomb is empty. And the question that follows isn’t just what happened. It’s the one asked in Luke 24:5, “Why seek ye the living among the dead?” That question still cuts. Because it exposes how easy it is to look for life in places where life can’t be found. 

The women run to tell the disciples. And at first, it doesn’t doubt reigns. Luke says their words “seemed to them as idle tales” (Luke 24:11). That’s real. Even those closest to Jesus struggled to believe what they were hearing. Until they saw it.

Peter runs to the tomb. John outruns him. They step inside and see the linen cloths lying there. Not stolen. Not disturbed. Empty. Something has happened. And then Jesus starts showing up.

To Mary, who thinks He’s the gardener until He calls her name. To two men walking a road, who don’t recognize Him until He breaks bread. To the disciples, hiding behind closed doors, still afraid, still unsure. And He stands in the middle of them and says, “Peace be unto you” (Luke 24:36).

Not condemnation. Not “where were you.” Peace.

That’s the power of this day. The cross dealt with sin. The resurrection proves it worked. Death didn’t win and sin didn’t hold Him. The grave couldn’t keep Him. And everything He said about who He was is now undeniable. This isn’t just a good ending to a hard week. This changes everything.

Because if Jesus is alive, then forgiveness is real.

If Jesus is alive, then death is not the end.

If Jesus is alive, then hope is not wishful thinking. It’s anchored.

And this is where it gets personal. Resurrection Sunday is not just something to celebrate. It’s something to respond to. Because the same Jesus who walked out of that tomb is still calling people by name.

Still stepping into fear. Still offering peace. Still inviting people to follow Him. Not to clean themselves up first. Not to get everything figured out. Just to come.

To believe that what He did on the cross was enough. To trust that when He said “it is finished,” He meant it. To receive the forgiveness He offers and the life He gives.

The disciples walked into that day confused and afraid. They walked out changed. Not because everything got easier. But because everything became clear.

Jesus is alive.

And that means your story doesn’t have to end where it is right now. Sin doesn’t have the final word. Your past doesn’t have the final word. Death doesn’t have the final word. Jesus does.

And He’s alive.

So here’s the question. What will you do with that? Because you can admire this story. You can be moved by it. You can even celebrate it once a year.

Or…

You can step into it. You can say yes to the One who walked out of that tomb. You can trust Him with your life. You can receive what He already paid for.

If that’s where you are right now, it doesn’t have to be complicated. You can simply tell Him.

You can pray something like this:

Jesus, I know I need You.
I believe You died for me.
I believe You rose again.
I’m done trying to do this on my own.
I’m trusting You to forgive me and lead me. 

That’s not the end. That’s the beginning. Because the same power that raised Him from the dead is the power that gives you New life.

And that’s what Sunday is all about.

Not just that He rose. But that because He rose, You can live.

And Because He Lives, You Can Face Tomorrow

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