Our oldest daughter, Laura, just got engaged to be married a few weeks ago. We’re so thrilled to have Matthew joining our family and are excited about the new journey on which they will embark this fall! But before the wedding planning started in earnest, it was necessary for us to make all the proper announcements. First, she called her closest friends and other family members. Next, we made a few more calls and emailed pictures of her ring to other special people before finally posting her engagement pictures online for general consumption.
While it’s natural for anyone to want to spread good news about significant and wonderful events in their lives to as many people as possible, the most important, impacting, and far-reaching announcement ever made wasn’t proclaimed to a huge crowd of people, nor was it heralded to the press or even shared on social media. Instead, this announcement was originally spoken to a group of seemingly insignificant women at a lonely graveside.
The message:
“He is not here; He has risen!” (Luke 24:6)
You know, it’s common to become so familiar with a story that it loses its impact on us, but believers ought not ever fall into that mindset when it comes to the Gospel. Jesus Christ is the only teacher who actually verified that His claims about eternity were correct. He taught his disciples about the resurrection of the dead and then proved it by walking out of the grave Himself! By rising from the dead, He pulled back the curtain for us to see the unbreakable continuity from this mortal existence to eternity. What we do in this life matters, chiefly because our actions now impact how we will experience the life to come.
The most well-known verse in the Bible gives us this firm assurance… “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (Jn 3:16) That means that those who believe in Jesus possess eternal life already… right now, in the present tense! Jesus lives within us through the presence of the Holy Spirit, and because death had no hold on Him, it has no hold on us either!
So as you think about the good news that we celebrate at Easter, I urge you to take a closer look at the revolutionary announcement spoken by the angel outside the empty tomb almost 2000 years ago. That simple declaration highlighted the finished life-changing work of Christ. He is alive, and He offers you peace, freedom, joy, a new beginning and a new life.
Congratulations on your daughter’s engagement. I agree we can lose the significance of a story by its familiarity. When I move beyond that I always gain something new.
Blessings,
Maree
Best wishes to your daughter.
You are right about the story of Jesus’ death being so familiar that it has lost its impact, especially to many who are raised in the church.
Today (Good Friday), what has been foremost in my mind is the fact that Jesus didn’t want to do it…He did not want the cross. Hebrews 5:7 tells us that He offered prayers, supplications, and pleadings with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death; and of course we remember how He asked God if it were possible to let this cup pass from Him. Even typing this, I get teary. I am so thankful.
Congratulations to you and your daughter. How exciting!
Yes, familiarity does cause us to lose the full impact of many passages, doesn’t it? We forget these were real people, grieving and confused. How must that news have sounded to those women? Too good to be true? Impossible? Could it be true? May we seek to recapture the truth that “He is risen!” Happy Easter!
Hi Karen. This is such an inspiring and encouraging post! It’s true that over-familiarity can taint our appreciation of the extraordinary work Christ accomplished on the cross for us. Yet we have every reason to remember and rejoice on a daily basis. May you and your family have a blessed Easter as you celebrate this wonderful event in history and your daughter’s engagement as well! Blessed to be your neighbour at the #glimpsesofhisbeauty link up. 🙂
First congratulations on the engagement of your daughter. It’s nice witnessing a commitment to marriage. Thanks Karen for sharing this excellent reminder. As you put it so well, it’s in rejoicing in the resurrection that we live eternally. Christ rising from the dead complete’s God’s final plan. God bless you, your daughter’s marriage, family, and friends.
Thanks Walter! So grateful that we serve a living Savior! Blessings to you and yours!