Resurrection: Celebrating Life in Jesus

Resurrection: Celebrating Life in Jesus

Christ is risen – He is resin indeed! Hallelujah!!

Easter is a celebration of life in Christ, as it signifies the day of his resurrection from the dead. 

Resurrection of Christ is indeed a founding principle to our faith in God. By dying Jesus destroyed death, and by raising Jesus restored life. Resurrection represents the triumphal victory and life in Jesus Christ.

Did Jesus rise from the dead? is the most important question asked regarding the claims of the Christian faith today.

Yes, according to the Scriptures, Christ died for our sins and was buried, on the third day God raised him from the dead (Acts 5:30).
  
The resurrection of Jesus is important for several reasons as it witnesses to the immense power of God Himself.

To believe in the resurrection is to believe in God and his power. In resurrecting Jesus from the grave, God reminds us of His absolute sovereignty over life and death.

So, the resurrection of Christ is the heart of the gospel that proclaims life to all who turn to Christ in faith.

Indeed it is a celebration of new life in Christ.

“Celebrating life in Jesus” can be understood in three ways

1. Celebrating Life with Validity 

The women disciples, who visited the tomb in the early morning with all their preparations, thought that the life of Jesus was expired and no more valid!

But the angel of the Lord assured them saying “Why do you look for the living among the dead, he is not here but has risen” (Luke 24:5). This is the statement of life that has validity. 

They were seeking for a dead body of Jesus; where as the angel of the Lord was showing them the risen body of Jesus, with life. They were told that the body of Jesus was restored back with new life.

Resurrection validates Jesus' claims as the Son of God, for whom there is no death at all! 

The resurrection also demonstrates that Jesus is the Messiah, giving a purpose for living. 

It also provides the basis for eternal life. The resurrection of Christ gives the believer comfort, offering a genuine hope for the future.

The knowledge of all these things results in a satisfying life for those who trust in him.

We are invalid by our sinful nature but we become valid with the life of Jesus. So, we are called to celebrate the validity of life with Christ.

Every Easter Sunday reminds the fact that we need to renew our life with the risen Christ.

In the OT, the prophet Ezekiel (37: 1-14) reminds us the valley of dry bones getting life.

At the Easter, perishing lives got renewed with the power of Christ, validating life.

2. Celebrating Life with Liberty

The people who crucified Jesus though that he will come back to life so that they put a tight security around the tomb, but nothing could stop Jesus coming to life again.

God liberated Jesus from the grave. Christ’s resurrection proclaimed liberty to all those who were in fear and danger.

Through resurrection Jesus proved that no one can imprison his life. 

Easter community is a redeemed community.

It reminds us that we are the children of God, redeemed and we are no more under the bondage, as we are set free.  

Christ saved us and he is our salvation, it was re-affirmed through his resurrection.

The resurrection of Jesus is a testimony to the resurrection of human beings, which is a basic principle of the Christian faith. In 1 Corinthians 15:22 Paul the apostle says “For as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ.”

Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:4)

Unlike all other religions, Christianity alone possesses a founder who transcends death and who promises that His followers will do the same.

As Christians, we take comfort in the fact that our God became man, died for our sins, and was resurrected on the third day.

The grave could not hold Him. He had overcome death, He lives, and He sits today at the right hand of God the Father in heaven.

The resurrection is the triumphant and glorious victory for every believer. The woman disciples who went to the tomb were filled with fear and doubt but they were transformed to joy and hope.

After the death of Christ the Disciples were inside the room with locked doors, being afraid of Jews but after the resurrection, Jesus released them with the message of peace (John 20:19-23).

Is your Life imprisoned? Jesus, the risen Lord is there as our liberator. Easter provides an opportunity to get liberated with the power of risen Christ.

3. Celebrating Life with Plenty

In John 21:1-14 we read after the resurrection Jesus appeared to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee.

It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together.

Simon Peter told them, I’m going out to fish,” and they said, “We’ll go with you.” The disciples turned back to their old profession-fishing, forgetting the promises of Jesus.

So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

He called out to them, “Friends, do you have any fish?”“No,” they answered.

He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.”

When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

Empty net turned into full of fish! A miraculous catch! Through this the risen Christ brought a new meaning in the life of disciples.

The risen Lord symbolically did this to show them that the empty life will be filled with the abundance, when they obey the Lord.

Jesus was restoring disciples back to life that was full of challenges and opportunities.

Christ’s resurrection brought into this world the abundant life. Abundant life is understood in terms of transformation.

Easter Transforms the Symbols of death into Symbols of Celebration, the message of death into a message of Life, the journey of gloom into a journey of remembrance and Hope.

Christ, after his resurrection was revealing himself to his disciples, empowering them to believe in his resurrection, and commissioning them to fulfill the life giving-mission. 

   

The appearance and words of risen Christ gave the disciples a new way of life. “The post Resurrection Breathing” gave His disciples the experience of ‘New Power’ in reaching people and sharing the Gospel to them (Matthew 28:19-20). 

Easter community is a called out community to proclaim the good news of abundant life. 

 

Let there be a resurrection experience in our lives, as it provides validity, liberty, and plenty of life. Amen