Transcript for:
Easter's Message of Resurrection Power

my dear friend another Easter season is approaching and I have a powerful question for you right now what if the stone wasn't rolled away just to let him out but to wake you up that's right i want you to hear me i want you to really stop for a second and let that question sink deep into your soul what if that massive stone that barrier between death and life wasn't moved to help Jesus escape but to open your eyes to show you with absolute clarity that the grave is empty that death is defeated and that your hope is alive because when you look inside that tomb and see he's not there you're not just witnessing history you're being handed an invitation you're being called into something eternal something powerful something that refuses to stay buried now let me bring it closer to home what if April 20th 2025 is not just another Easter Sunday what if this is the day you rise not just clap not just listen not just dress nice and sing a few songs but actually rise what if this is your resurrection moment what if this was the day you let go of fear shame and regret the day you stopped visiting your spiritual grave and started walking out of it i'm not talking about tradition or religion i'm talking about resurrection i'm talking about the kind of power that speaks into dead places and calls them back to life i'm talking about a savior who didn't stay in the grave and who isn't done with you yet if he got up you can too if he lives then there is no darkness too thick no pain too deep no pass too broken for him to redeem this is not just a holiday this is the heartbeat of our faith this is the day to rise before we go any deeper welcome to the channel i need you to do three things right now first like this video second hit that subscribe button join us as we build a bold faithfueled community of 50,000 chosen ones third drop 777 in the comments below that number isn't random it's heaven's signature a divine symbol of completeness perfection and spiritual awakening it's your declaration that you believe God is aligning things in your life even when you don't see it yet now hear me if you truly believe this is your activation moment say it declare it type it let it be known if you are one of the chosen you'll stay through this message because something deep in your spirit already knows it's for you but those who are desperate for breakthrough hungry for more those who know they were made for something greater this message will shift everything so let's begin chosen ones beloved chosen ones let me speak to your soul as we enter the season that holds the very core of faith throughout the lurggical year we celebrate many beautiful and powerful moments christmas when God took on flesh the feast of Corpus Christi when we remember his body given for us trinity Sunday when we marvel at the divine mystery of three in one each feast each celebration carries weight and reverence but there is one that stands at the center of it all one that every sacrament every prophecy every divine promise points toward that moment is Easter that moment is the resurrection and I'm not talking about just another feast or holy day i'm talking about the supernatural earthshaking eternityhifting truth that Jesus Christ got up from the grave the resurrection is not a metaphor it is not symbolic it is the defining event of our faith without it everything falls without it we're not the church we're just a group of people with wishful thinking that's why Paul with no hesitation declared in 1 Corinthians 15:14 "If Christ has not been raised then our preaching is in vain and so is your faith." That's not a poetic line that's not a gentle suggestion that's a line drawn through the soul of the Christian life it's a declaration that says if he didn't rise then we have no reason to believe anything else but if he did rise then nothing else matters more than that see Christianity isn't built on a philosophy it doesn't stand on a list of rules or even a moral framework although it includes those things christianity is built on a moment in history that defied nature and rewrote the end of the story a moment when the son of God beaten and buried stepped out of death and back into life and that moment split history in two every prophecy that pointed forward every sacrament we celebrate now they all derive their power from this single event jesus is alive that's why the Eucharist is not just bread and wine it is participation in the life of the risen Christ that's why baptism is not just water it is a burial and a resurrection that's why confirmation penance anointing matrimony and holy orders all receive their meaning from a savior who conquered death the resurrection is the engine behind every move of the church every mission every martyr's courage every miracle in the lives of believers now let me ask you something from my heart to yours are you still living with a Good Friday spirit in an Easter world are you still bound by shame and guilt walking as though the stone is still in front of the tomb are you still waiting for permission to rise when Jesus already removed the barrier because here's the truth your savior got up he folded the grave clothes he left death behind and he did it not just to prove something but to purchase your freedom to give you the same spirit that raised him up so you too could walk in resurrection power this is not just about theology it's about transformation this isn't just a season it's a calling easter is not the end of Lent it is the beginning of power it is the launch of mission it is the proof that the worst thing is never the last thing so don't walk like you've been defeated when the tomb is empty don't talk like you're still stuck in the grave when the stone has been rolled away if Christ got up then your hope is alive if Christ got up then your identity is not your failure if Christ got up then every dead place in your life has the potential to rise again maybe your dream looks buried maybe your joy feels sealed behind stone maybe your faith feels like Saturday silent uncertain without answers but beloved Sunday is real the morning comes the grave is not the end resurrection is not an idea it's a person and his name is Jesus the apostles didn't give their lives for an idea they weren't martyed for poetry they saw something they touched something they witnessed the impossible they sat in a locked room and watched a man they buried walk through the door and breathe on them and from that moment they couldn't go back they became witnesses they didn't carry religion they carried resurrection and now you are called to do the same to walk not just in belief but in boldness to live not just remembering the resurrection but carrying it in your bones when you sew in dry places when you forgive your enemies when you stand firm in storms know this you are living proof of the risen Christ so as Easter approaches I'm not just asking you to come to mass i'm not just asking you to sing songs and wear white i'm asking you to rise rise in faith rise in obedience rise in the calling that God has placed on your life because if Jesus got up then so can you if Jesus walked out of that grave then you can walk out of shame out of fear out of regret out of whatever's been trying to hold you back this is the center this is the heartbeat everything hinges here and your life your mission your future it all begins at the empty tomb let this Easter not be a ritual but a resurrection let it not be just a date but a declaration let it be the moment you remember who you are and whose you are you don't serve a memory you serve a risen king he's not finished with you he's calling you and the same power that raised Jesus from the dead now lives in you so rise up chosen ones the tomb is empty your purpose is full and the time is now now let's take a step back together i want to make this a little clearer we love Christmas don't we we decorate we sing we gather around the tree celebrate the birth of Jesus and for good reason christmas is beautiful it's joyful it's the beginning of hope wrapped in cloth lying in a manger it's a manual god with us but hear me now christmas is the promise easter is the fulfillment christmas says "God has come." Easter says "God has conquered." Christmas is the opening line easter is the exclamation point one introduces the light into the world the other proves that no darkness can ever overcome it we rejoice at Christmas because the Savior was born but the reason we can truly live live free live redeemed live forever is because the Savior rose that's where the power is that's where death was crushed that's where hell lost its grip that's where eternal life stepped onto the scene and said "I'm not going anywhere." People love Christmas because it feels safe a baby in a manger the innocence the softness it's a comfortable image but Easter Easter confronts easter demands a decision easter asks "Do you believe he got up do you believe he defeated death do you believe he is still alive and walking with you?" You see joy at Christmas is about arrival but joy at Easter is about assurance the baby became a man the man took the cross and the crucified king didn't stay in the grave he rose and he's still risen so while we celebrate his coming we live by his conquering while we thank God for the crib we trust him for the cross and while the world might pause for a season in December heaven and earth still echo the victory of the resurrection every single day what good is the birth of a savior if he doesn't defeat the grave what power is there in the cradle if the tomb still holds him but he didn't just come he overcame he didn't just arrive he arose that's why Easter isn't just the end of the story it's the story we've been waiting to live it's the proof that God doesn't just show up he stays that he doesn't just walk with us he walks us out of death into life so yes celebrate the birth rejoice in the manger but don't stop there let the resurrection be your anthem let Easter be your declaration because he's not just born he's alive and he's with you forever oh chosen ones they came expecting death they came in the early morning carrying spices linen and shattered hearts they weren't expecting miracles they were expecting a body it was too early for hope too quiet for faith but still they came before the sun rose before the world moved before anyone dared believe again they walked toward the tomb and when they arrived what they thought they would find wasn't there the stone was rolled away the grave was empty and in that single moment history shifted everything changed not just for them but for you and for me forever let me speak something into your spirit today and I want you to hold on to it tightly throughout history every religion every belief system has had a leader someone who spoke wisdom someone who gathered followers buddha lived and died muhammad lived and died confucious lived and died and to this day if you want to see where they were laid to rest you can go you can visit their tombs their bones are still there still buried still silent but Jesus Christ when you go looking for his tomb all you'll find is an echo all you'll find is absence why because he's not there because he is risen that tomb is empty not because someone snuck in at night and took him not because the story was altered over time not because of conspiracy it's empty because Jesus got up the grave couldn't hold him death couldn't keep him darkness couldn't silence him hell couldn't stop him he is alive truly alive now and forever and that stone that heavy stone sealing the tomb it didn't roll away so he could get out it rolled away so the world could look in so you could look in so you could witness the truth with your own eyes the greatest declaration ever made it came in words it came in silence the empty tomb doesn't whisper it shouts it doesn't suggest it declares it isn't just a symbol it's the loudest sermon the world has ever known no instruments played no voices sang no preacher stood and yet the message was crystal clear death has lost the king is alive the tomb is empty and that truth changes everything now stay with me here don't let this moment pass you by because when Jesus rose from the dead when he stepped out of that tomb in power and glory he didn't head to the palace he didn't go knocking on the doors of the high priests he didn't march into the temple courts or stand before Pontius Pilate and say "You see I told you." He didn't walk up to Caesar or call down angels in the public square no that's not what he did instead Jesus appeared to women not women of power not women of wealth or influence not queens or scholars or leaders of the time he appeared to women who had been overlooked women whose voices weren't valued in their culture women who were seen as ordinary mary Magdalene Joanna Mary the mother of James names the world didn't celebrate but heaven did ordinary names ordinary lives but chosen by God to carry the most extraordinary message the world has ever heard he is risen and let me tell you that wasn't a mistake that wasn't random that was deliberate that was divine because God doesn't reveal resurrection to the proud and the powerful he reveals it to the faithful to the humble to those who still show up when hope feels gone to those who walk in darkness but still believe the light will come those women came to the tomb expecting to grieve expecting to tend to a dead body but they became the first voices of victory and when they saw the stone rolled away they didn't celebrate immediately no there was confusion there was fear where is he they cried what happened and then the angel spoke a question that still echoes through generations why do you seek the living among the dead that's not just a question for them that's a question for you why are you still looking for life in places that can't give it why go back to dead relationships empty patterns worn out lies why search for peace in what once buried you jesus isn't there he's not in the grave he's alive and he's calling you to rise he's calling you higher some of us we're breathing we're walking we're going through the motions but deep down we're still buried we're alive on the outside but stuck on the inside bound by fear trapped in guilt covered in shame yes we're saved we've heard the gospel but we're still living like the tomb has the final say but listen to me jesus didn't rise so you could stay in that grave he didn't conquer death so you could remain wrapped in what he already set you free from he rose so you could rise too he walked out so you could walk forward and the stone it's not there anymore it's already been rolled away you don't have to push it you don't have to prove yourself you don't have to earn what's already been paid for freedom has already been secured resurrection isn't a reward you fight for it's a gift you receive by faith now let me speak to you about that stone that stone symbolizes every lie hell ever threw at you every label this world tried to make stick too broken too far gone too late but when God moved that stone he crushed every lie with it that stone didn't just shift it collapsed it fell in surrender to the unstoppable power of grace now pay close attention to this when the angel met the women at the tomb he didn't just announce the resurrection he didn't just say "He is risen." And sent them away no he gave them an invitation he said "Come come and see the place where he lay." That's important that tells us something deep about the heart of God god doesn't push you away when you question he doesn't scold you for doubting he doesn't reject you because you're unsure he invites you closer he wants you to step near to take a look for yourself to witness what grace has done he doesn't demand blind belief he invites awakened faith he says "Come and look come and see for yourself touch the place where death lost stand where the grave gave way feel the truth for yourself." Because faith isn't some blind leap into the dark it's a response to the light you've seen with your own eyes and felt in your own soul and when those women ran to tell the disciples what they had witnessed the reaction wasn't what you might expect the very ones who had walked with Jesus the ones who had heard his voice and seen his power didn't believe them at first they doubted and that right there should comfort you because even the closest ones to Jesus had moments of weakness even those who knew him best forgot what he promised but grace didn't leave them in that doubt grace met them in it grace reached into the hesitation and pulled them back toward faith peter yes Peter the one who denied him three times he ran to the tomb not because he was convinced but because he dared to hope and when he saw the linen lying there something in him broke and something new began because when you realize he really did rise it doesn't just shift your thinking it transforms your identity so if you're here today feeling like you don't measure up feeling like you've messed up too much or fallen too far if you're carrying the weight of regret and your past screams louder than your calling I have good news for you the empty tomb is not a reminder of your failure it's an invitation to stand up to come alive again not because you're perfect not because you figured everything out but because Jesus rose and that changes everything he didn't just conquer death he conquered every excuse you've believed about why God can't use you you see the world will always try to label you it will try to bury you in shame in guilt in the story of who you used to be but God already buried all of that in the tomb and he left it there he didn't bring it back out you are not defined by what you've done you are forever defined by what Jesus did and what he did was rise for you now let me bring this home let me make it plain and clear the empty tomb was never meant to be the conclusion it was always the beginning it's not a period at the end of the sentence it's a spark that sets the fire of purpose ablaze it's the opening note of a brand new song one that changes the rhythm of everything that follows the women at the tomb they didn't linger they didn't hesitate they didn't keep the news to themselves they ran they moved they carried the message they became messengers of a miracle because when you've seen resurrection with your own eyes when you've stood in front of the tomb and realize he's no longer there you can't stay the same you can't return to what was you can't sit still in silence you have to go forward you have to open your mouth you have to live not in fear not in defeat but in resurrection victory because resurrection isn't just something that happened to Jesus 2,000 years ago resurrection is what he offers to you right here right now it's in every moment you choose grace instead of guilt it's in every time you walk in faith when fear tells you to run it's in every decision to step toward your calling even when shame tries to drag you back that's resurrection that's new life that's power and here's the truth the tomb is empty and that means your future is not your purpose isn't buried your destiny isn't lost because he lives you don't have to stay down because he rose your grave can't hold you because the stone is gone you're free to run into everything God has already prepared for you so now the real question isn't is the tomb empty we know the answer to that the stone has been rolled away the grave no longer holds him he has risen just like he said that's not the question anymore the question now is this will you live like the tomb is empty will you let that truth impact how you love how you lead how you move forward in life will you carry resurrection power into your home into your workplace into your relationships into your future will you let the reality of the resurrection not just be something you believe in theory but something you embody something you walk in every day because I'm here to tell you there is no greater message ever spoken no miracle more powerful no moment in all of history more defining than this one he is not here he has risen and because that's true you are no longer who you were you are no longer where you were you are no longer bound by what others said about you you are alive in him so step out of that grave the stone is gone and your savior lives my dear friend let's be honest about something important resurrection does not erase the pain it doesn't wipe away the suffering or pretend it never happened it doesn't mean you won't go through heartache loss betrayal or walk through long seasons where God seems silent and far away it doesn't guarantee that life will be easy smooth or perfect but here's what it does what it most certainly and powerfully does it shines a piercing light through the darkness it speaks into the silence it declares that the night will not last forever that darkness will not win that sorrow will not have the final word that pain will not write the ending resurrection proves that even after the longest night the dawn always comes jesus didn't avoid the cross he didn't take a detour around Goltha no he walked straight into it fully aware fully surrendered with his head held high and his heart wide open he embraced everything it meant he didn't retreat from the nails that pierced his hands he didn't flinch when the whip tore through his flesh he didn't pull back when the crown of thorns was driven into his brow he didn't run away from the suffering that awaited him he ran right through it he faced it all took it all bore it all and because he did because he absorbed every drop of that pain resurrection now carries more than just comfort it carries victory it turns agony into authority it transforms suffering into divine strength now somebody needs to hear this truth deep in their spirit each of us will face our own Good Fridays those are the moments when life grows unbearably heavy when the skies of our soul turn dark and the pressure becomes so intense we can barely breathe it's when the prayers you've cried feel like they bounce back in silence it's when doors don't just stay closed they seem sealed shut it's when the dreams you carried in faith begin to collapse that's your Friday and yes it hurts it cuts deep but please hear this your story doesn't stop on Friday but God never meant for it to end there because in his divine plan every Good Friday is followed by a Sunday morning and when that morning comes the entire atmosphere shifts resurrection doesn't ignore what happened it transforms what happened it doesn't pretend the pain wasn't real it redefineses it the cross hasn't been erased from the timeline of history it has become the center of it all but once stood as a symbol of horror is now the very sign of hope of love of victory and of grace that's what God does he takes the enemy's darkest weapon and turns it into heaven's greatest triumph he takes your agony and creates glory and isn't that exactly what life feels like at times like a neverending tension between crucifixion and resurrection we celebrate the mountaintops the victories the breakthroughs the answered prayers but we also walk through valleys places of uncertainty pain and waiting and many of us are not standing on Friday or Sunday we're stuck in that middle ground you're in the silence of Saturday not in the despair of death but not yet in the joy of resurrection you're in that place where God seems quiet where his promises feel delayed or even broken and your faith is stretched to its limit but I came to remind you today just because it's silent doesn't mean God is absent just because you can't hear him doesn't mean he's not moving heaven was quiet between the cross and the resurrection but it was never still behind the veil of time God was active he was dismantling the power of hell he was tearing down every stronghold he was breaking the grip of sin he was reversing the curse of death he was preparing the moment of triumph resurrection doesn't begin when the stone is rolled away it begins in the hidden place in the silence in the waiting even when you don't see it even when you don't feel it resurrection is already underway let's return to the cross for a moment let's not rush by it not glaze over the weight of what happened there because Jesus didn't just endure a physical torture he suffered spiritually bearing the full weight of sin he suffered emotionally rejected by those he came to save he suffered psychologically overwhelmed by the crushing weight of humanity's brokenness and in his most vulnerable moment he cried out "My God my God why have you forsaken me?" That cry wasn't poetic it was real it was the raw exposed pain of a savior who stepped fully into the depth of human anguish in that cry we see the honest ache of every abandoned heart every betrayed soul every person who's ever felt alone in a crowded room jesus felt it all he didn't skip the depth of human sorrow he entered it completely and yet in one of the most extraordinary paradoxes the world has ever known that very place of unimaginable darkness Golagatha the hill of execution became the gateway to eternal life god didn't steer away from that place he didn't sanitize it he transformed it he didn't bypass sorrow he triumphed through it that old rugged cross soaked in pain and blood is no longer a symbol of death it is now a doorway into grace into purpose into everlasting light some of you right now you're carrying a cross of your own and it's heavy maybe it's the deep ache of grief that hasn't let go of your heart maybe it's shame that clings to your identity like a shadow you can't outrun maybe it's disappointment years of it layered one on top of the other hanging over your soul like a storm cloud that refuses to pass you've been dragging that cross through your days you've been trying to hide it behind your smile behind your busyiness behind your silence maybe you even tried to bury it hoping it would disappear on its own but here's the truth and I need you to hear it clearly whatever you try to bury without Jesus stays dead it stays broken it stays locked in pain but whatever you bring to Jesus no matter how messy no matter how painful no matter how far gone it feels he resurrects he takes what was lost and makes it whole he takes what was shattered and breathes life into it again he redeems he rebuilds and don't miss this jesus didn't rise from the grave looking untouched he came out with scars scars that told the story scars that shouted victory that tells me something powerful resurrection doesn't ignore the pain you've been through it doesn't pretend it never happened it gives it meaning it gives it purpose those scars on Jesus those weren't signs of defeat they were signs of endurance evidence of power marks of mercy and unimaginable love and what does that mean for you it means you don't have to pretend you've never been wounded you don't have to erase your past in order to have a future god's not looking for perfect people he's looking for real people people who've been in the fire and still came out praising people who've been knocked down but got up by grace that's resurrection not avoiding the pit but rising from it not skipping pain but overcoming it through God's mercy not pretending life didn't break you but standing as proof that his grace is stronger the gospel doesn't ask you to pretend Friday didn't happen it simply invites you to believe Sunday is coming let me make it plain for you right now the resurrection is not just an isolated moment in time it is a message that continues to speak it's not just a historical event it's a movement that keeps advancing it's not just something to celebrate once a year it's a mindset we're called to carry every single day it speaks directly to every believer who's been through darkness through pain through heartbreak and what it tells you is this you don't have to be a prisoner to what you walked through you don't have to carry the name of what happened to you you are not defined by your failure your trauma or your lowest point you are defined by the one who overcame death who crushed the grave who rose in power and still reigns right now and if he could rise up from that tomb then so can you if he could walk out of Galgoa then so can your joy so can your faith so can your calling but some of us are still living like it's Friday you're free but you act like you're still bound you've been healed but you carry yourself like you're still broken you've been raised but you haven't stood up it's time to rise come on now you were made to rise you weren't created to stay buried in fear shame or regret you weren't designed to live stuck in the middle of your pain you were made for resurrection jesus himself said "I am the resurrection and the life." He didn't say "I was." He didn't say someday I will be he said I am that's present tense that's right here that's right now resurrection isn't just a past event we talk about once a year it's a living reality it's not just something that happened it's someone and that someone is still speaking still moving still reaching into places that feel lifeless still breathing into dry bones and calling them back to life and what does that mean it means darkness does not get the last word it means depression doesn't get to write your final chapter it means your pain your diagnosis your heartbreak your mistakes they don't get to name your future the enemy may have tried to end your story with a period but God stepped in picked up the pen and said "I'm not done." He turned the period into a comma and he's still writing your story is not over not with resurrection still alive let me tell you something else that resurrection means it means purpose rises with you when Jesus walked out of that grave he didn't just prove he had power over death he proved he came to release purpose into our lives he rose not only to show victory but to waken calling look at the disciples before the resurrection they were hiding scared confused full of doubt but after they encountered the risen Christ they changed they stood up they stepped out they preached with fire they lived with boldness they embraced danger why because once you've seen resurrection once you've seen death defeated once you've seen the grave give way to glory fear loses its grip what is there left to be afraid of when you know that even death doesn't have the final word and let me be clear it's not that the threats went away the danger was still real the opposition was still there but what changed was what they believed they knew now that the worst thing that could happen was still no match for what God had already done that knowledge that hope became their courage and here's the good news that same resurrection fire is for you it's not limited to preachers pastors or prophets it's not reserved for the super spiritual it's for the single mother doing her best to raise her children it's for the teenager wrestling with anxiety and depression it's for the man trying to rebuild from nothing it's for the woman who feels forgotten it's for the one who failed last night for the one who fell and got back up for the one still in the fight it's for you resurrection says you don't have to live in the dark anymore you don't have to stay buried the stone is already rolled away the path has already cleared the victory has already been won all that's left for you is to walk out so let me ask you this what are you still waiting for are you going to keep living like it's still Friday like the stone is still in place like the grave still holds the victory or are you finally going to step into Sunday are you going to keep dwelling in the shadows of fear regret shame and what used to be or are you going to rise up and walk in the light of what is true right now because Sunday is here the tomb is empty the Savior lives and if he lives then so can you listen Jesus didn't rise so we could have another holiday on the calendar he didn't rise so we could dress in our best clothes once a year take family photos and check off a box he rose so we could live truly live he rose so we could walk in freedom no longer chained by guilt or fear he rose so we could step into the darkest corners of the world and shine with hope so we could carry the fire of resurrection into homes schools workplaces and hearts that are desperate for life because this world needs to know hope is still alive he rose so you could rise he conquered the grave so you wouldn't have to be buried by life this is what Easter is all about this is the triumph of life over darkness this is the unshakable power of the gospel this is the cry that echoes through the ages death is defeated love has overcome and the King of glory is alive forever more and because he lives because he rose from it all you can rise too charles once let me tell you a story one that's not glamorous one that's not polished one that's messy raw and real because real resurrection doesn't happen in clean places it happens in the middle of brokenness there was a man named Peter you know him bold Peter loud Peter sword drawing storm walking i'll never leave you Peter he was the one who said "Even if all these others fall away Lord I won't." He was the one who swore he'd die before denying Jesus but on the night it mattered most when Jesus was arrested and the pressure came down Peter folded not once not twice but three times i don't know the man that's what he said and the last time he didn't just whisper it he cursed and shouted it i don't know him and then the rooster crowed just like Jesus said it would and in that moment Peter broke scripture says he went out and wept bitterly that was his Friday that was his darkest moment and maybe you know what that feels like the shame the failure the weight of regret maybe you've been there standing in the aftermath of a decision that crushed you feeling like you've gone too far said too much denied what you once believed peter didn't just fail publicly he failed personally he failed someone he loved and let me be real some pain hits deeper when it's not about what you did but who you did it to this wasn't just a mistake this was betrayal this was a friend turning away from the one who loved him most and yet God wasn't finished with Peter 3 days later Jesus rose the tomb was empty and angels spoke to the women at the tomb and do you remember what the angel said he said "Go tell his disciples." And Peter did you catch that and Peter the only disciple named the only one singled out because heaven wanted to make sure that Peter knew he was still included he wasn't disqualified he wasn't forgotten even after the denial even after the shame God said "Make sure Peter knows he still has a place." That my friend is resurrection grace but it didn't stop there days later Jesus met Peter on a beach and instead of shaming him Jesus served him he didn't lecture him he cooked them breakfast that's our God he doesn't meet you in condemnation he meets you with compassion then Jesus asked him one question peter do you love me and he didn't just ask it once he asked it three times one question for every denial one moment of restoration for every moment of failure and when Peter said yes Jesus didn't say then don't mess up again he said feed my sheep in other words you've still got purpose you've still got a calling get back up get back in the fight peter's Friday was dark it was shameful it was full of regret but as Sunday came and when it did the same man who denied Jesus became the man who stood up on the day of Pentecost and preached the gospel so boldly that 3,000 souls were saved why because resurrection restores resurrection redeems resurrection doesn't just bring Jesus back to life it brings you back to purpose it takes your lowest moment and says "Even here I'm not done." I don't know what your Friday looks like i don't know what moment crushed you maybe you denied who you were called to be maybe you walked away from your faith your family your future maybe you've wept bitterly in private thinking no one would ever know and even if they did they'd never look at you the same but hear me God saw it and he's not writing you off he's calling you by name just like he called Peter he's saying "Tell my children and you tell my disciples and the one who thinks they've blown it too badly." Because he wants you to know if you're still breathing there's still grace that's what I love about the cross that's what I love about the empty tomb it doesn't just speak of divine power it speaks of divine mercy it tells the story of a God who doesn't discard the broken he restores them who doesn't reject the fallen he reinstates them peter was knocked down but not knocked out he was broken but not beyond repair that's the gospel that's what resurrection power looks like in real life not perfect people rising from clean beds but broken people crawling out of shame finding they are met with arms wide open that's your Sunday so maybe today is the day you rise maybe today is the day you realize you're not too far gone that your worst moment is not your final chapter that your Friday didn't finish the story because just like Peter you have a Sunday too the tomb is empty and so is your shame walk out my dear friend allow me to speak of something that didn't just inspire hearts it shook the very course of human history i'm not talking about a myth or a metaphor not a tale passed down to make us feel good i'm talking about a moment one moment that split the calendar in two a moment so powerful it was recorded by witnesses written down and preserved for generations a moment that wasn't imagined it was experienced a moment that redefined reality for all of time i'm talking about the resurrection of Jesus Christ not as a distant idea or some symbolic hope no I'm talking about a real documented undeniable event a moment that happened in the dirt of this earth and a truth that still lives and breathes today the resurrection is not fiction it is not mythology it is not some poetic allegory meant to stir the soul without challenging the mind no the resurrection is the very heartbeat of the gospel and I want to be absolutely clear it truly happened jesus really lived he was really crucified he was really placed in a tomb and on the third day just as he said he would he really rose not in theory not as a ghost but in his resurrected body nail scars and all and hundreds of people saw him they heard his voice they walked beside him they touched his hands they ate meals with him and their lives were never the same again the Apostle Paul tells us in Corinthians 15 that after Jesus rose from the dead he appeared to more than 500 people that's not hearsake that's eyewitness testimony and what's even more striking is that when Paul wrote those words many of those people were still alive that means the story could have been challenged the claims could have been disproven the whole thing could have been dismissed but it wasn't why because the people who saw him didn't just speak they staked their lives on it they were willing to suffer to be beaten to be imprisoned to be killed for what they had seen and let me tell you people don't endure torture and martyrdom for a story they made up you don't face wild beasts in a Roman arena for a hallucination you don't go to the stake to prison to the sword unless you are utterly convinced that what you saw was real and those people knew without a shadow of a doubt that the tomb was and because the resurrection happened in real time it doesn't just affect history it impacts eternity but not only that it affects our present moment too the resurrection isn't just something to read about in scripture it's something to live it's not a relic of the past it's a present invitation it's not just a recorded event it's a living reality we are all called to walk in let's take a moment to break this down clearly in Romans 6:41 the Apostle Paul teaches us that if we have been united with Christ in his death we will most certainly also be united with him in his resurrection that truth carries more than theological weight it carries personal impact resurrection isn't just a doctrine we agree with intellectually it's a divine invitation it's a call to put to death the old self the old ways of thinking the old habits that held us back the pain we carried the chains we once called identity and to rise into something brand new a life no longer defined by the past but marked by hope rooted in a new identity walking in freedom and driven by divine purpose when Jesus walked out of that tomb he wasn't just proving his power over death for himself alone he was unlocking that same resurrection power for every person who would believe he didn't just conquer sin for his sake he conquered it for yours he didn't just silence shame in theory he silenced it for you personally and now the door that leads to that resurrection life stands open no man can close it and Jesus is calling your name to step through let me talk to someone right now who's been trapped by the weight of their past you believe in God you believe that Jesus died on the cross you've said the prayer you've asked for forgiveness and you believe on paper but deep inside you haven't yet stepped into resurrection you've been saved yes but you're still stuck you've accepted that Jesus died for your sins but you haven't accepted that he also rose to give you new life you've received his forgiveness but you haven't embraced the freedom that came with it you've been washed clean but you haven't stood up in resurrection power and I'm here to tell you God didn't just come to clean you up he came to raise you up see resurrection doesn't stop at being forgiven it takes you further resurrection makes you new that's what the Apostle Paul meant in Corinthians 5:17 when he said "If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation the old has passed away behold the new has come." Not a better version of the old you not a more disciplined version of your old self not a polished or improved version of your past no something entirely different born again made alive recreated from the inside out that's what resurrection means that's what it does it doesn't patch you up it transforms you it gives you a new name a new heart a new purpose and this right here this isn't about hype this isn't about a spiritual adrenaline rush or an emotional moment that fades after Sunday this is not a motivational speech this is the foundation of who we are resurrection is not a seasonal message it is our daily identity we are resurrection people we are not those who live bound by fear why because the grave has already been conquered the one who went down into death came up in victory and now lives in us we don't walk in shame over our past mistakes because the cross already carried that weight we don't walk with our heads hung low replaying the worst things we've ever done because Jesus already said "It is finished." We don't live as victims of life's cruelty we live as victors not because of what we've done but because of what he has done not because we earned it but because he gave it freely that's the power of grace that's the heart of the gospel that's what resurrection guarantees not just pardon but power not just mercy but transformation and let's not forget this is what Easter is truly about it's not about traditions or decorations it's not about bunnies baskets liies or even the songs we sing it's about Jesus a God who didn't stay distant but came close a savior who took on flesh stepped into our pain bore the full weight of our sin and laid his body in a borrowed tomb but on the third day on that glorious third day he took one breath and in that single act death was defeated the curse was broken and the door to new life was thrown wide open that is our story that is our hope that is our unshakable foundation resurrection isn't just about what happened to Jesus it's about what is now possible for you because he rose you can rise because he lives you can live free that's not a metaphor that's not religious language that's truth and it's yours if you want it and don't miss this resurrection isn't only about what Jesus did for us on that third day it's also about what he's still doing in us right now the same resurrection power that raised Christ from the dead the very same spirit that brought breath back into his body that power lives in you it's not a symbol and it's not just a memory it's a living force active within every believer that means resurrection is not only a moment in the past it's a daily reality you're invited to walk in it's not distant it's present every time you forgive someone who hurt you even when it's hard you're stepping into resurrection every time you choose grace instead of guilt hope instead of despair you're living in resurrection power every time you get back up after life knocks you down and you decide to believe again you're walking in resurrection and what exactly does resurrection bring into your life it brings forgiveness of sins yes but it goes beyond that it brings renewal a total transformation from the inside out it gives you purpose it changes your nature it shifts your identity you move from death to life from darkness into light from slavery into freedom from hopelessness into joy you don't just avoid hell you begin to taste heaven now that's resurrection that's today that what the resurrection makes possible not just the distant promise of salvation but a present and living identity it's not something you have to wait for until you reach eternity it's something you can walk in right now you don't have to wait to be changed you can be transformed today you can live in the light of truth you can walk in daily victory you can rise in spiritual power not by your own efforts not because you're strong enough but because his spirit now lives and breathes inside of you the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is working in you this very moment now maybe you're thinking "That all sounds amazing but I don't feel it i don't see any evidence in my life." And that's okay resurrection isn't always a burst of emotion or a dramatic shift overnight sometimes it shows up quiet sometimes it looks like choosing to get up when everything in you wants to stay down sometimes it looks like praying when the heavens feel silent sometimes it looks like showing love to someone who never returns it that too is resurrection it's not always big it's not always loud it's often found in those small daily decisions to keep rising again and again and again because resurrection was never meant to be a one-time event that we celebrate once a year resurrection is a lifestyle it's a rhythm of living it's a mindset that says "I died with Christ and now I live in him." That means we don't live for ourselves anymore we live for the one who pulled us out of death who raised us up and who now sends us forward with purpose and just as Jesus came out of the tomb with scars still visible you may carry some scars too but those scars don't disqualify you they are not shameful they are the proof that you survived they are the evidence that what tried to destroy you didn't win they are reminders that you walk through pain but resurrection brought you out scars are not signs of failure they are the markings of victory they are the markings of resurrection so don't wait until you feel worthy to walk in resurrection don't wait until you have all the answers until you feel strong until your past feels far enough behind you walk in it now walk in it even when you're still healing walk in it with all your questions walk in it carrying your wounds because Jesus never asked for your perfection he asked for your belief and when you choose to believe right in the middle of your mess right in the middle of your doubt everything begins to change he forgives your sin not just the little ones not just the ones people see all of them he restores your soul he lifts the parts of you that have grown weary and worn down he rewrites your story what the world said about you what the enemy declared over you he erases it and writes his truth instead he renews your thinking replacing lies with hope he resurrects the purpose you thought was buried he revives joy that felt long gone and more than all of that he reveals himself not as a faroff figure from 2,000 years ago but as the living savior the risen king the one who walks beside you talks with you and calls you by name so today don't just reflect on the resurrection receive it let it redefine how you live how you love how you fight through fear and walk through pain this isn't just history this is your reality he is risen and in him so are you chosen ones now I need you to truly reflect on this question jesus got up but are you living like someone who's been raised cuz that tomb is empty that stone is rolled that grave couldn't hold him death lost its sting hell lost its grip and Jesus rose with all power in his hands but what good is the resurrection for us if we still live like we're buried what good is Easter Sunday if our hearts are still stuck in Saturday silence we sing He has risen with our mouths but some of us are still living like Friday's not over still bound in guilt still covered in shame still chained by fear still haunted by what we did or what was done to us i came to tell somebody today you don't have to live like that jesus didn't just rise to give you a ticket to heaven he rose to give you a brand new life here and now he rose to bring your soul out of hiden let's be honest many people walking around today they're breathing but they're not alive they're existing but their hearts are numb their minds are clouded with worry their spirits are crushed under the weight of regret busyiness and endless pressure they're not walking in joy they're dragging their way through survival but the resurrection oh the resurrection is God's shout into that silence it's heaven's voice calling out to the dry bones saying "Live again." There are people maybe even you who've buried parts of themselves you buried your passion you buried your purpose you buried your belief that anything could change and now you're functioning on autopilot you smile on the outside but you're hollow on the inside you're moving through the motions but deep down you're tired empty cold and this is where the gospel meets you not in perfection but in your brokenness jesus didn't come for the strong he came for the struggling he didn't walk out of that grave to celebrate alone he walked out calling your name calling you to rise too because resurrection isn't just a past event but too many believers are stuck saved but stuck forgiven but frozen they believe in Jesus but they've forgotten how to live they've been rescued from death but they're not walking in the light of life and this this is the disconnect between what we confess and how we live jesus is alive but are we living like people who've been made alive in him see when Jesus came back to life it wasn't just about him proving who he was it was about him pulling you out of everything that's kept you buried he rose so you wouldn't have to stay stuck in depression he rose so you wouldn't have to stay shackled in fear he rose so you wouldn't have to live under the weight of a dead identity he rose so that you would know you can rise too and rising doesn't always look like shouting or dancing sometimes rising looks like forgiving someone who doesn't deserve it sometimes it looks like showing up to church when all you want to do is give up sometimes it's waking up one more morning and saying,"Lord I still trust you." That's resurrection life it's not about hype it's about hope a quiet steady power that gets you back up every time life knocks you down and let me say this to somebody who feels like they're too far gone maybe your fire's gone out maybe your faith has gone cold resurrection is for you too you don't have to stay buried in what you used to be jesus came looking for you not to condemn you but to raise you the empty tomb wasn't just his victory it's yours too but you've got to make a decision are you going to keep living like it's Friday are you going to keep clinging to what he already carried to the cross or are you going to step out of the grave with him are you going to start living like someone who's been raised because if he's risen then you've got no reason to stay down if he's risen then shame has no place if he's risen then fear has no power if he's risen then you are no longer who you were you are who he says you are so don't just talk about the resurrection don't just celebrate it once a year live it walk it embrace it let it fill every part of your day let it show in your forgiveness let it shine through your courage let it move through your kindness your worship your faith let the world see that Jesus didn't just get up he raised you with him and that means we don't have to live like people who are barely hanging on we can live like people who've been made brand new people who are alive in grace alive in hope alive in purpose alive in Christ this world is tired tired of fake hope tired of empty religion tired of dead words with no life behind them the world is looking for resurrection people not perfect people but people who've been through the dark and still shine people who've come out of the tomb with scars and stories people who know what it means to fall and to rise again so if the tomb is empty then the throne is occupied if he lives then you can live too not just survive but live deeply boldly joyfully purposefully that's what it means to live like the resurrected now rise beloved chosen ones not just any moment but the holiest night of the entire church calendar the night that holds more power than we often realize the night when heaven leans close when the church gathers not just in ritual but in revelation it's not a performance it's not a tradition it's a sacred encounter i'm talking about the Easter vigil the vigil of all holy nights this isn't a service you just attend it's a journey you walk through it's a proclamation of everything we believe it's not quiet it's not passive it's bold it's luminous it's the night where darkness is pierced literally by a single flame and that one flame becomes many that single light the pel candle is lifted up and it proclaims a truth so powerful it echoes beyond the walls of the church christ our light and we respond not with silence but with faith nothing is without risk these three this parable because in that moment we're not just holding candles we're holding resurrection that fire isn't just lighting a room it's lighting our souls it's shining into every dark corner of our fears our sins our failures it's not just a symbolic flicker it is a declaration that death is defeated that Jesus Christ is alive that the tomb didn't win that hope has returned this is the night where the church stands in the tension between what was and what now is between crucifixion and resurrection between the sorrow of Friday and the glory of Sunday we gather in the darkness of our churches to remember that the world once sat in the darkness of sin and then just like that we witness the breaking in of light but hear me now this light is not just for our eyes it's for our hearts because there are people walking through life who know how to smile but don't know how to hope people who are alive in body but asleep in spirit and when that pascal candle rises up it doesn't just illuminate the church it cries out to every soul "Come out of the shadows the light has come." and the darkness cannot overcome it now after the light breaks into the darkness after the flame has passed from heart to heart hand to hand we sit not in silence but in sacred attention because now we don't just witness light we hear the story behind it seven readings seven movements seven moments where God said "I'm not done with humanity yet." Seven chapters that take us all the way from chaos to covenant from slavery to salvation from despair to divine deliverance this is not just a reading marathon this is not filler before the real mass begins no no this is the word of God unfolding the greatest love story ever told how God chased after his people through every failure every fall every generation and it all begins in the beginning we hear Genesis 1 proclaimed in the stillness in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth that's not just poetry that's identity that's purpose that's the reminder that you and I were not accidents we were spoken into existence by a God who creates out of nothing the same God who brought light into the void is the one who brings light into your emptiness then we move into the story of Abraham the father of faith a man who is willing to lay everything down even his own son out of obedience to God that reading isn't comfortable it's not easy but it echoes something powerful resurrection begins with surrender before Isaac was spared Abraham had to let go before life can rise something must be offered and then comes Exodus the dramatic escape from slavery moses stands at the edge of the Red Sea the water behind him pharaoh's army in pursuit and God says "Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord." Then the sea splits israel walks through on dry ground hear me god didn't remove the water he made a way through it and maybe that's you tonight you don't need God to erase the chaos you need him to split it wide open so you can walk out in freedom that's what this reading proclaims freedom isn't a dream it's your inheritance and the story keeps unfolding prophets promises poetry isaiah speaks of God's everlasting covenant baroo reminds us to cling to wisdom ezekiel tells of dry bones coming to life again it's not just history it's a prophecy over your soul because maybe tonight you feel like those dry bones maybe you've been through battles that have left you feeling lifeless maybe the fight in your faith has faded but Ezekiel 37 is for you i will put my spirit in you and you shall live that's not a metaphor that's a promise that's resurrection fire pouring through ancient words to awaken your modern soul you see these seven readings are not just a look backward they are a mirror a map a divine reminder that God has always been faithful even when his people weren't that he has always made a way even when the world was lost that he has always called dry bones captives and sinners back to life so don't sit in this vigil like a spectator don't hear these scriptures like distant echoes let them speak to you let them stir you let them remind you that your story is part of this story you are not a footnote you are not forgotten you are the continuation of the same grace that split seas and raised nations this is salvation history this is our family tree this is resurrection written in the pages proclaimed in the night fulfilled in the Christ who lives now after the word has been proclaimed after the light has pierced the darkness after the story of salvation has rolled like thunder through the sanctuary comes the moment when the church stands and remembers who we are we move to the water cuz resurrection isn't just a story we hear it's a truth we enter it's not just something Jesus experienced it's something we participate in and the church gives us this sacred reminder in the boldest way possible by renewing the very vows that once brought us from death to life this is the moment we return to the font not just physically but spiritually the priest lifts his hand blesses the water and we remember that this isn't just water it's a river of grace it is the same water that God hovered over in the beginning the same water that parted at the Red Sea the same water that flowed from the side of Christ when he gave up his final breath and now it flows over us because you can't talk about resurrection without talking about baptism romans 6 makes it plain we were buried with Christ through baptism into death so that just as Christ was raised from the dead we too may live a new life that's not poetic language a spiritual reality baptism is not just a ritual it's a resurrection when you were baptized your old self didn't just get cleaned it got crucified that addiction drowned that shame washed away that broken identity buried and when you came up out of that water you didn't just rise a better person you rose a new creation and now on this holy night the church calls you to remember that moment not just as something that happened but as something that is still happening the water may have dried from your skin but the spirit still burns in your soul the grace still flows the promise still stands so the priest asks us those ancient questions again not for tradition's sake but to reawaken truth do you reject Satan and all his works and all his empty promises and we say it with fire I do do you believe in God the Father Almighty in Jesus Christ his only son in the Holy Spirit the Holy Catholic Church and we don't whisper it we declare it I do because in that moment we are stepping back into our identity we are rising again we are reminding the devil the world and even ourselves I belong to the risen Christ i am not who I was i am who he says I am that's not religion that's resurrection and then it happens the priest walks through the assembly and he sprinkles that holy water over the people it's not just ceremonial it's sacred every drop is a reminder you have died with Christ and now you live in him that water hits your forehead your hands your shoulders and it's heaven's way of saying "Don't forget you've already been raised." Now hear me church this moment is not about guilt it's about grace it's not about trying harder it's about remembering who you already are too many believers forget that baptism was not the finish line it was the beginning the launching point of a resurrected life and when we forget our baptism we start living like people still stuck in the grave we forget the power we carry we forget the spirit that lives in us but tonight the church calls it back it says "Rise up you are no longer dead you are no longer bound you are alive in Christ so if you've been tired devocasa just be refreshed if you've been lost this water says come home if you've been living in shame this water says you are already clean and if you've forgotten who you are this water says "Let me remind you you are not a slave you are not your sin you are not what they called you you are not what the world said about you you are a baptized bloodbought spirit whole heaven called child of the living God you have already died and tonight you rise again now listen to me church because if you've heard nothing else tonight hear this what we're doing here this vigil this gathering this sacred fire and water and word this is not just another liturgy this is not just a beautiful tradition we keep once a year this is a Passover this is our Exodus this is the night when everything changes it's the night when heaven breaks into time and reminds us "We were slaves but now we're free we were in darkness but now we stand in marvelous light we were lost wandering broken but now because of the resurrection we have been brought into life into love into promise." The church doesn't call this just Easter Eve no she calls it the great vigil why because it is the night of nights the church has been keeping watch holding her breath with a tomb sealed shut and now as the stone is rolled away we exhale in glory the light has returned christ has risen and this isn't just his story it's ours this night is a passage from death to life from despair to hope from sin to salvation it's not just a symbol it's a spiritual reality it's the bridge between what we were and who we are becoming every flame every reading every drop of holy water cries out the same truth christ didn't just rise he took you with him let me tell you something egypt didn't release Israel without resistance pharaoh didn't just let him go without a fight and the enemy doesn't want to release you easily either he wants to remind you of the chains he wants you to forget the freedom he wants to keep you tied to what Jesus already broke but this night this night is where you remind hell that it has no hold on you this night is where you remember that the blood has been shed the lamb has been slain and the angel of death has passed over you are covered you are claimed you are free and don't forget what God said to Israel as they left Egypt you will remember this night for generations not because of what they did but because of what he did that's what we do on this vigil we remember and in remembering we reclaim we walk again through the waters we stand again in the light we say again "Yes Lord I believe." And this moment is not only personal it's communal because resurrection was never meant to be private it was meant to be proclaimed it's not just for me to get out of the tomb it's for us the whole body to rise together and that's what happens when we say the Gloria when the lights burst on when the allelujah rings for the first time in 40 days we don't just declare that Jesus is alive we declare that we are alive in him the bells ring the candles blaze the church erupts in praise and heaven meets earth in a collision of joy and triumph that's not hype that's truth that's resurrection power made visible that's the sound of chains breaking graves opening faith rising because tonight we don't just witness resurrection we enter it we claim it we live it so if you came into this night heavy broken tired doubtful I get it but you don't have to leave the same because this is not just a ceremony this is not just a ritual this is the doorway this is the exodus this is the night God called you by name and said "Come out walk free step into the light." Christ our light yes and now a resurrection hallelujah my dear friend every time someone is baptized a resurrection happens i'm not talking about a symbolic moment i'm not talking about a religious formality i'm talking about a spiritual explosion heaven opens sin is shattered a soul is claimed and new life begins every baptism is a small Easter it's a moment when the death and resurrection of Jesus becomes personal becomes real becomes present right here right now it's not just water on the skin it's grace flooding the soul it's God saying "You are mine." The church teaches that in baptism we die with Christ and rise with him we are buried with him in the water and we emerge not just cleansed but changed that's not poetic language that's transformation that's resurrection power that's why when the church baptizes especially during this vigil it does so with boldness with fire with joy because what we are witnessing is not just a step into religion it's a step out of the grave when someone goes down into that water their past stays buried their shame is washed away their identity is no longer found in what they've done but in what Christ has done for them that's why we don't whisper baptisms we celebrate them cuz the tomb didn't whisper either it burst open and tonight as we stand in the light of resurrection I want to speak to two kinds of people first to those who have never been baptized maybe you've been curious maybe you felt the pull maybe you've heard the message of Christ but you haven't yet taken that step i want to tell you this is your invitation not from me from Jesus himself he's calling you out of the shadows and into the water he's calling you out of fear and into faith he's calling you to die to the old and rise with him don't wait until you're perfect don't wait until you have it all figured out baptism isn't about earning God's love it's about receiving it it's not a finish line it's a beginning it's the start of a new story a resurrection story if your soul has been aching for more if your heart has been tired of wandering if your spirit has longed for a fresh start this is your moment the water is ready the church is ready heaven is ready now the question is are you ready to rise and second to those who have been baptized I want to remind you baptism wasn't just a moment back then it's a mark you carry now it's an identity a mission a calling too many baptized Christians are walking around like they've forgotten who they are like they're still living in the tomb when Christ already rolled the stone let this vigil night call you back let it shake the dust off your faith let it reignite the flame in your bones you were raised to walk in newness of life not just for a day but for every day so live like someone who's been resurrected talk like someone who's been set free forgive like someone who's been forgiven love like someone who's been loved by the cross cuz when you remember your baptism you remember your resurrection and that changes everything oh chosen ones let me tell you with all assurance the resurrection of Jesus Christ is not merely a truth to believe it is a life to live it was never meant to be locked away in ancient texts or confined to the stained glass of cathedrals resurrection was never meant to be admired from a distance like a beautiful painting hung on a wall no it was meant to enter our bones our breath our decisions it was meant to change how we walk how we speak how we treat one another how we love how we forgive how we serve yet for many believers the resurrection has become more of an event than a lifestyle something to celebrate once a year rather than something to live out every single day but here's the truth if the resurrection is real and make no mistake it is then it should transform every part of who we are it must go beyond what we profess in church it must go beyond songs beyond sermons beyond sacraments it has to shape how we live when no one is watching it must affect how we carry ourselves in traffic in meetings at the dinner table in moments of suffering in encounters with those who've wronged us and in situations where love seems undeserved resurrection is not passive it is not quiet it is not polite it is powerful it disrupts it awakens and yes it demands a response the call of the resurrection is not a call to comfort it's a call to renewal not a shallow refresh but a deep and lasting transformation it's a call to lay down what doesn't belong anymore to surrender pride bitterness old patterns and every mask we wear it's a call to rise and put on something new scripture doesn't say we're slightly improved it says "If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation." Not a cleaner version of who you were but someone entirely different but this newness doesn't happen by accident it takes choice it takes courage it takes a decision to walk out of the tombs we've been lying in tombs of fear tombs of apathy tombs of self-preservation the resurrection is calling us out and it's time to respond some of us if we're honest are still sitting in graves that Jesus already called us out of we're clinging to resentment like it still protects us we're nurturing old offenses like they still serve a purpose we're holding tightly to comfort zones that once gave us security but now only keep us spiritually stuck and we've been there so long that we've convinced ourselves maybe this is just where we belong the resurrection doesn't leave us there it doesn't whisper it calls it commands it says come out it says rise and that word it's not a suggestion it's not a hopeful wish it's a summons a divine invitation to get up to move forward to step into the life Christ died and rose to give us that life begins with forgiveness and forgiveness for those who follow a risen savior is not optional jesus didn't step out of the tomb looking for revenge he didn't rise with a list of names to go after no he rose with scars still in his hands and mercy overflowing from his heart and the very first words he spoke to the disciples who abandoned him betrayed him and doubted him weren't words of shame or correction they were words of peace peace be with you that's what resurrection looks like that's the kind of power we're called to carry if we have truly received that peace from Christ then we must be willing to extend it to others and to ourselves forgiveness is not weakness in fact it's one of the greatest displays of resurrection power you will ever show it takes strength to look into the face of the person who wounded you and choose freedom over bitterness it takes courage to lay down the pain you've been holding on to and say "This no longer defines me." And let's not forget sometimes the hardest person to forgive is yourself but the risen Christ doesn't leave you condemned he offers restoration he offers healing he offers power the kind of power that can lift you out of shame and set your feet on resurrection ground but forgiveness is only the first step the next is love not the kind of love that's convenient or comfortable not love that's just a word we say but love that becomes a life we live resurrection love is the kind of love Jesus showed on the cross and it's the kind of love he still pours out through his people today it's a love that lays down ego a love that doesn't run from suffering but moves toward it a love that sees the invisible touches the untouchable and chooses to stay even when it would be easier to walk away this love real love is not proven by declarations it is proven by action it feeds the hungry it comforts the grieving it makes space for the outcast it doesn't hesitate to get its hands dirty for the sake of compassion it forgives the unforgivable welcomes the unlovable and serves the undeserving it's patient when patience is the hardest choice it's kind when kindness doesn't come naturally it's generous when everything inside you wants to hold back it stretches beyond logic beyond politics beyond preference this love doesn't ask who deserves it it asks what would Jesus do and then it does it if resurrection lives in us then that love should flow out of us we don't get to choose who is worthy of it resurrection love doesn't check your theology your background your voting record or your past it just loves deeply boldly recklessly and it's that kind of love not sermons not slogans that will change this world because when resurrection love shows up things don't stay the same hearts soften walls fall communities are transformed but forgiveness and love aren't the end they are the foundation resurrection also calls us into service because the empty tomb wasn't the end of Jesus's mission it was the beginning of ours he rose not only to set us free but to send us and if his spirit really lives in us then we don't get to sit back and stay comfortable we don't get to be spectators in a world that's hurting we are his hands now we are his feet we are his voice we are his touch in a world starving for hope we serve not out of obligation but out of gratitude we serve because love compels us because grace has changed us because mercy has lifted us we serve because we know what it's like to be broken and now we can carry healing we know what it's like to be lost and now we can point others home and the beautiful thing about resurrection is this nothing we do in the spirit is ever wasted every quiet act of compassion every moment of unnoticed faithfulness every sacrifice made in love echoes beyond time resurrection reminds us that what is done in faith will live on so we don't wait for someone else to tell us what to do we don't wait for a title or a microphone or a spotlight we live like every breath is a calling we move like every moment matters we walk out of church ready to be the church we see Christ in the faces of the poor the lonely the broken the angry the forgotten and we go not as saviors but as witnesses witnesses to a power that changes everything that's the call of the resurrection that's the life we're invited to live not just a life of belief but a life of bold active selfless love a life that looks like Jesus a life that answers the empty tomb with open hands and a willing heart a life that says "Because he lives in me I will live for him." This calling of the resurrection doesn't come without responsibility it is not just a call to celebration it's a call to transformation a faith that truly rises must also walk a resurrection that lifts us up must also lead us forward we weren't just saved from something we were saved for something for righteousness for justice for mercy for compassion for the sacred work of reconciling this broken world back to its creator that means we are not called to simply sit in what we've received we are called to carry it forward so don't wait until you feel holy enough strong enough or worthy enough to start walking in resurrection power walk in it now walk in it even if you still have questions walk in it even if you're still healing walk in it even if your faith trembles in the dark because Jesus never asked you to be perfect he asked you to believe and if you believe if you say yes to the call everything begins to change he forgives your sin completely he restores your weary soul he rewrites every broken chapter of your life he renews your mind with truth he resurrects your calling and brings purpose to your pain he revives the joy you thought was gone forever and most beautifully of all he reveals himself to you not as a memory not as an idea not as a name in a book but as the living savior the risen King the one who walks beside you speaks gently to your heart and calls you by your real name so today don't just remember the resurrection as something that happened long ago receive it as something that is happening right now respond to it with your life let it change how you see yourself let it transform how you treat others let it reshape how you deal with fear how you endure pain how you confront doubt and how you stare down death because with resurrection comes a whole new way to live and a whole new power to live it with this isn't just ancient history this is your present reality he has risen and because he is so are you as we come to the end of today's message I want to speak to your heart don't let the light of Easter be a flicker that burns for one night and fades by Monday morning don't let the fire you felt during the vigil be reduced to a memory or a seasonal high that flame the light of the rise in Christ is meant to live in you to burn within you and to shine through you in the days weeks and years ahead resurrection is not the end of the story it's the start of your witness because the world doesn't need more people who celebrate Easter the world needs more people who embody it people who walk out of church doors not as consumers of grace but as carriers of resurrection people who live like Jesus really rose from the grave who love when it's hard who forgive when it costs who serve when no one notices who radiate hope when everything around them feels dark to be a witness of the resurrection doesn't mean quoting scripture perfectly or having all the answers it means showing up in your ordinary life with extraordinary faith it means loving your family with patience it means showing kindness to a co-worker who frustrates you it means standing for justice when the crowd chooses silence it means being light in a world that has gotten used to shadows let me tell you something real there's a world out there that's starving for authenticity tired of talk tired of empty religion tired of hearing about a God who is powerful but not seeing people who live like he is what they need isn't more performance what they need is presence not just what you say but how you walk how you hold peace how you forgive how you persevere when life hits hard that's resurrection with skin on that's a living gospel so how do we carry that flame forward we carry it by keeping our hearts open we carry it by choosing every day to walk in the light even when it's easier to crawl back into darkness we carry it when we remember that the same spirit who rolled the stone from the tomb is the spirit who lives in us leading us into the world not with fear but with fire don't just remember the resurrection in your head reflect it in your habits don't just preach about it in a sanctuary practice it at your dinner table don't just light a candle once a year be the candle that keeps burning in the everyday because being a witness means resurrection becomes your rhythm it shapes the way you pray the way you give the way you listen the way you lift others up the way you speak life into dead situations the way you stay soft when life hardens everyone else the way you bless those who curse you the way you keep showing up when no one claps when no one sees when it's just you and God that is the life of a resurrection witness but hear this too it's not about perfection you're going to stumble you're going to have moments where the tomb seems far and your spirit feels cold but resurrection is not about always feeling strong it's about always returning to the source coming back to the stone that was rolled away and remembering what it means it means death doesn't win it means shame has no grip it means guilt doesn't get the final word it means even when you fall you're not finished so when you feel weak remember the one who rose for you when you feel tired remember the empty tomb when you feel disqualified remember the cross and the savior who said "It is finished." And let that memory bring you back to mission because every resurrection comes with a commission the angel didn't tell the women at the tomb to keep the news to themselves he told them to go and tell and they did shaking weeping overwhelmed but obedient they ran with the news that would shake the world and that's still the call today you don't have to be loud but you must be faithful you don't have to be eloquent but you must be willing you don't have to be famous but you must be present because someone around you your friend your coworker your neighbor your child is waiting to see if resurrection is real in you so don't hide your light don't downplay your faith don't delay your calling let the resurrection rise in your eyes in your walk in your posture in your purpose let it rise in how you dream again let it rise in how you give again let it rise in how you risk again let it rise in how you serve again let it rise in how you believe again because the resurrection of Jesus Christ is not just his victory it's your victory and that victory was not meant to be stored away it was meant to be shared let it fill your home let it fill your church let it fill your community let it spill into every room you walk into every space you occupy every life you touch this world is aching for evidence that hope is still alive and that evidence is you not because you're perfect not because you have it all together but because Christ lives in you because the fire that lit that first Pascal candle is now burning in your bone because the resurrection is not a season it's your story and the world is waiting to read it so go be the proof that love conquers all be the proof that mercy still changes people be the proof that grace can turn enemies into family be the proof that light still pierces the darkness be the proof that Jesus is not in the tomb he is alive and he is alive in you my dear friend after hearing the truth of the resurrection we can't walk away the same we've seen the empty tomb we've heard the call and now it's time to respond let us come before God with open hearts and let this prayer become our declaration of life purpose and power reson Lord Jesus tonight I come before you not just to remember what you did but to receive who you are i thank you for the cross that paid my debt but even more I praise you for the empty tomb that opened the door to my freedom you rose so that I could rise you rose to call me out of shame out of fear out of spiritual silence and into light into courage into purpose forgive me Lord for the times I've lived like you are still in the grave for the times I've let doubt rule where faith should reign for the moments I've carried guilt when you already paid it all today I say yes to resurrection life help me to forgive like you forgive without limits help me to love like you love without condition help me to serve like you serve with joy and sacrifice let the flame of this night burn in my heart beyond this sanctuary let me be a light in my family a witness in my community and a voice of hope in a weary world may your resurrection not just be something I celebrate but something I carry live and embody every single day in your victorious risen name I pray amen finally thank you for staying with me until the very end of today's message if this word has inspired you or blessed your life in any way we humbly invite you to support this channel with your heartfelt encouragement your simple acts of appreciation allow us to continue spreading the message of Christ and extending his love to hearts all over the world even to those who may not have the strength to ask for it themselves your prayers your likes and your shares are a blessing beyond words if this message moved you please take a moment to like the video subscribe to the channel and share it with someone who may need this encouragement and wisdom today your engagement helps this faith community grow and makes it possible for us to reach even more lives with the light of God's truth we'd also love to hear from you let us know in the comments what part of today's message spoke to your heart the most may God cover you with his grace strengthen you in your purpose and bless you abundantly in all that you do stay in the light stay in the word and never stop living the resurrection