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It’s not by chance that the early church began meeting on Sundays, the day after the Jewish Sabbath. Every Sunday is a “little Easter.” It is the Lord’s Day, the first day of the week, a weekly reminder of the Lord’s resurrection as God’s vindication of Jesus. We remember how his suffering and death dealt with our sins and we rejoice in the hope of the resurrection.
It changes the way we view life, empowering and motivating us with hope. The resurrection confirms that Jesus is now Lord and Messiah (Romans 1:1-4), God’s anointed Son and the ruler of planet earth. The resurrection is the beginning of the new creation, God is making all things new and we are already part of that process.
We can learn from Peter, his transformation is an example for us all. At times we seem to celebrate the resurrection because it promises us a ticket to heaven when we die. However, the celebration of the resurrection is a lifestyle where I live in the light of its every moment.
When we get caught up in our own little world full of difficulties, struggles, joys and pains, it is always helpful to be reminded of this. If we live with chronic pain, strained and difficult relationships or any form of brokenness we can easily look to the resurrection as the means by which we can permanently escape our current reality. But because Jesus is alive and ruling we can know resurrection in our lives now. We fix our eyes on Jesus and see our lives from his perspective. We can know peace and joy in the midst of the most difficult of situations.
In this way each day becomes a celebration of the resurrection. We have a choice whether to live in anxiety and despair, or in hopefulness and joy. That Jesus gave his life, took away our sins and is now Lord and Messiah, means we live each day in the reality of the new creation.
Stephen L Baxter
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Random thoughts of a fellow traveller