The Day After Easter

April 2, 2024

Easter was this past Sunday. The big temptation—and truthfully, the normal reaction—is to feel, “Whew! That was great! Everything was wonderful! But now let’s get back to normal.” We treat Easter like it is a DAY. The eggs have all been found, the baskets are ravaged, Jesus is risen, we went to church, and now it’s back to normal life.

But nothing was normal after Jesus and it STILL isn’t.

The original Easter was the start of the revolution of the universe. It was the day after which nothing was the same ever again. When a Jewish carpenter/rabbi claims to be God, calls His shot by saying He will be beaten, crucified publicly, buried, and rise again in three days, and then actually pulls it off, all bets are off. Everything changes. Business as usual is no longer a thing,

Easter isn’t just a time to pause and reflect on some nice truths and a remarkable story. We tend to forget the way it impacts us the rest of the year. A little Easter happens every Sunday. We live in the light and power of Easter every single day. It is the epicenter, the crux of our faith. It is the only reason we have to hope.

What should happen after Easter? Easter is a beginning, not an ending. This week should be a fresh start for your heart. The resurrection of Jesus gave us the power for everything to change! Rather than trying to change under our own power, with endless resolutions and effort, we get the power that raised Jesus from the dead!

Paul encourages us, “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.” Ephesians 1:19-20 NLT

And in 2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

If we are Christ-followers, on the Monday after Easter we have a new identity! Jesus made it possible for the old person and the old history to be gone because of what He did for us.

The day after Easter we also have a new reason for courage. It was Sunday evening. The disciples had locked themselves away in fear. It seemed like everything they had believed or trusted was no longer true. John 20:19-20 NLT tells us “… the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! ‘Peace be with you,’ he said. As he spoke, He showed them the wounds in his hands and side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord!”

That encounter and spending time with the resurrected Lord changed them! In Acts 4 they were boldly preaching to the very people from whom they had gone into hiding. The record says the people were astonished at their change, and certain it was because they had been with Jesus. They changed into men who would not be silenced, even at the cost of their own lives. Jesus being alive changed everything! Before they realized Jesus was alive again, their hopes had all died with Him. It was the death of their courage and who they had dreamed they could be.

But life had not ended. Jesus was everything they had hoped He would be and more. Instead of this ending everything, it ended the power of sin and death and who we were. But as we trust Him, it is the beginning of true life, the life we were truly meant to live. When Jesus came back to life, it was the beginning of true life for all who believe. That is true for all of us today as well.

Easter also means that I can experience a new presence. Jesus is really with me! My recognition of His presence and following Him with my life empowers me and makes me effective for being part of fulfilling His mission in the world. It is the new purpose that makes life satisfying and significant.

Thank God for the wonderful weekend we had, but nothing is over! It’s just the beginning. Happy Easter! He is risen!