April 20, 2025

Suggested Readings:

Acts 10:34-43

Isaiah 65:17-25

Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24

1 Corinthians 15:19-26

John 20:1-18

Luke 24:1-12

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Let’s face it. It is hard to believe that a dead person can be returned to life. It is totally beyond human comprehension. The disciples had been forewarned that Jesus would die and be raised to life. However, John reports that the disciples, “did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.” (John 20:9) When the women ran from the empty tomb to tell the disciples that the tomb was empty and they had seen a vision of angels Luke reports, “these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. (Luke 24:11) John 20:19 reports that when Jesus appeared to the disciples on the evening of Resurrection Day

“the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews.”

It was however, this same group of skeptics who forty days later began the task of sharing the good news with the world. What changed?

Luke records Jesus final promise to his followers, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) There is both promise and challenge. It is the the Holy Spirit who equips Christ-followers to live faithfully and proclaim boldly the message of new life in Christ.

It wasn’t the empty tomb that transformed skeptics into evangelists. It isn’t the empty tomb that gives us hope for eternal life. It is the transformation of the Holy Spirit that assures us that Jesus is alive and working through us in the world in which we now live. I don’t need the empty tomb to prove the reality of the Resurrection. The Risen Christ is the source of strength, hope, and absolute love. The tangible proof of the Resurrection is found in changed lives. It is impossible to argue with a life transformed by the presence of the living Word.

“He Lives” is a Christian hymn, otherwise known by its first line, “I serve a risen Savior”. It was composed in 1933 by Alfred Henry Ackley (1887-1960). The lyrics accurately capture the ultimate proof of the Resurrection. “You ask me how I know he lives? He lives within my heart.”

 

Reflection: Our natural inclination is to disbelieve the Resurrection. Try making a list of the reasons the Resurrection is real to you.

 

Repentance: What practices and attitudes do I need to change to more completely live into the reality of the Resurrection? What spiritual disciplines do I need to practice to strengthen my faith and witness?

 

Reconciliation: Through the Holy Spirit, I understand that I have been reconciled to God. My sins are forgiven and I have new life. The charge is to live a loving and forgiving life that inspires others to be reconciled to God.

 

Renewal: The Holy Spirit renews my life each day. The Holy Spirit challenges and encourages. The Holy Spirit assures me that I am a child of God. Saved, sanctified, redeemed.