Easter a Day Late

The Easter story is one of life; the life of Jesus the Christ, the Savior of the world. Following His crucifixion and death, He was placed in a tomb. As He foretold, He rose from the grave, His life returning to Him. We read in Scripture of His appearance to many disciples and ultimately of His ascension back to the Father. There is no doubt, He was alive again. He was breathing. He was hungry and ate. He grew tired and slept. He was full of life. He is full of life.

The Easter story is one of life; the promise of abundant life on earth for every person who accepts the gift of life ushered by the life of Jesus; and of the eternal life in heaven reserved for the faithful. The Christian life is impossible without Jesus sacrificing His life. The blessing of the Christian life is that Christ lives in us and we share in His life, His death, and His resurrection.

"I am crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Gal. 2:20

"...that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness which comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection of the dead." Phil. 3:8-10

"Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."
Rom. 6:4

The story of Easter is of Jesus' resurrection from a physical death. However, without His birth, message, cross, death, and burial, His resurrection has no power. Without His birth, message, cross, death, and burial, my hope in resurrection holds no promise.

As a Christian, I remember the death of Jesus upon the cross of Calvary daily. I commemorate and celebrate His death every Sunday when I eat the bread and drink the cup. But because He lives, I live each day with the hope of my own resurrection to eternal life. To me, that is the story of Easter.