Now that Easter is over, what’s next? Jesus died and rose again now what does that mean for us today? How can we live the life God wants us to live?
Because of the Resurrection we have joy. We can live in celebration of what God has done for us. Image the peace the disciples get when they realize Jesus rose from the dead. Let’s make every Sunday like Easter. N.T. Wright once said, “The Easter stories come at the end of the four gospels, but they are not about an “end.” They are about a beginning. The beginning of God’s new world. The beginning of the kingdom.”
It also helps us to trust in the Lord. Jesus made a promise to us and he fulfilled it. God will keep his promises.
The Resurrection reminds us that God walks with us. In the Garden of Eden we read, “They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.”
(Genesis 3:8). The first person Jesus appeared to was Mary. When she saw him at first, she thought He was a gardener. This is a call back to when God walked in the Garden with Adam and Eve. Today we can walk with the Lord and allow Him to teach us.
Another thing the Resurrection teaches us is that we don’t have to Live with guilt. The tomb is empty my sin is gone. When Adam and eve sinned against God they were afraid and ran from God. They tried to close themselves with fig leaves. Those leaves are not big enough to clothe anyone and leaves are scratchy and itchy. God took an animal and killed it. He took the skin and clothed them. Lazarus was wrapped up but he needed new clothes. His wrappings were smelly and stinky. Because of the resurrection we have new clothes. Thank you Lord!
After Adam and Eve sinned against God, we see Adam name his wife. The entire account in Genesis talks about, “the woman” but after they sin Adam turns to his wife and calls her, “Eve”. This word Eve means, “Life” He was in essence saying you are life. When we sin, we don’t need to hide from God. We need to turn to the Lord and remember the names He has given to us, “Beloved, righteous, forgiven, saved, holy.” The resurrection of Christ is a reminder that just as Jesus was raised from the dead, so have you been!