Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Now what do we do? Our Lenten Journey is over. We traveled to the upper room on Maundy Thursday with Jesus and his disciples. We heard Jesus say those powerful, effective words that are still effective when we hear them on Sunday mornings, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins” (Matt 26:28). We traveled to the foot of the cross on Good Friday and hear Jesus utter a lonely cry of abandonment, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me” (Mark 15:34)? We heard the words of finality that Jesus spoke with his last breath, “It is finished!’ (John 19:30), paying in full the price for our Sin that separates us from God. And we traveled to the empty tomb to hear again about the group of women who traveled there early on the first day of the week to find it empty. We heard once more the words of the angels at the empty tomb, “He is not here, but has risen” (Luke 24:6). The final, culminating Day of the Resurrection is over. Now what do we do?

This upcoming month of April and beyond reminds us that Easter is more than just one day. Easter is an “every Sunday” celebration during which we come together to receive the fruit of the cross and resurrection of Jesus—the forgiveness of sins and the certainty of eternal life with God. Easter is also an “every day” celebration in which we live each day trusting in God through Christ, knowing that Jesus is “the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25) for us.

So where do we go once we leave the empty tomb? Let us follow the example of Jesus’ first disciples. After Jesus walked through locked doors to appear to the eleven disciples and to show himself to Thomas, seven of the eleven disciples went back to their fishing business (John 21:1-14). They went back to their vocations or stations in life and took the witness of the resurrection with them. They lived in the joy of the resurrection of Jesus while carrying out the daily, ordinary labor and responsibilities given to them.

Similar to the women at the empty tomb and the eleven disciples, we are “every day” witnesses and participants in the resurrection of Jesus. We believe and are baptized. We have the hope of eternal life. We have the joy of the resurrection living inside of us. Also, like the women at the empty tomb and the eleven disciples, we have vocations or stations in life that God has given to us as a gift. Most of us are not fishermen, but all of us have one or more of these callings: father, husband, wife, son, daughter, brother, sister, grandparent, employee, retiree, friend, and neighbor. Each of these callings comes with a set of duties and responsibilities. As repentant Christians, by God’s grace we wrap the daily duties and responsibilities of our vocations in the joy, love, peace, and forgiveness of Christ. And, more than likely, others will take notice and God will bless your faithful work by giving you opportunities to “tell all these things to all the rest” (Luke 24:9).

Now, we go forth from Easter Sunday and the celebration of the empty tomb free as God’s forgiven children in Christ. Now we go forth empowered by God’s Spirit living and active within us to live in the joy of the resurrection as “every day” witnesses.