Alleluia

Alleluia!
“He is not here, for He has risen, as He said. Come see the place where He lay.” -Matthew 28:6

 “Jesus Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!”  It’s called the Paschal greeting, and it is an ancient greeting in the Church. Though we usually reserve it for Easter, it is actually always true, and in many churches, it is said throughout the year. We should probably do that, too. Any time things are hard, any time we are discouraged, any time we don’t feel like saying it, that’s probably when we should say it. That is when we should remind ourselves that the true source of our joy is in Him.
 
That’s the real beauty of Easter. No matter what else may be true at any given moment, it is always true that Christ is risen indeed. We serve, as an old hymn says, a risen Savior, who is in the world today. In the midst of every trial, every struggle, every heartbreak, He is risen. In grief, in sickness, in pain, in distress, He is risen. When we are discouraged, when we are tired, even when we doubt Him, He is risen. The promise, the purpose of Easter is every day, all the time, even when life seems as dark as the grave.
 
Come see the place where he lay. He was there, in the tomb, but He is there no longer. He conquered sin and death and all evil. In this is our living hope. A hope that Peter tells us is imperishable. A hope that comes not from ourselves or anything we did or could ever do, but from the Lord and His completed work. The remedy for our sin was accomplished on the cross, and the assurance of eternity was completed on that first Easter.
 
As you read this, Easter Sunday of 2026 has passed. For two thousand years (give or take), the Church has been celebrating this Day of Resurrection. Christ Presbyterian celebrates with songs, with fellowship, with the proclamation of the Word. And of course with feasting. Because that’s what we do here. And now we move forward as Easter people, people of the Resurrection, people of The Way. There is always much to celebrate, and always much to do. As disciples of Christ, we should be brave and bold, joyful and confident; and above all, we must be hopeful.
 
So, let’s not let Easter end with Easter Sunday. Let’s think it, say it, and sing it in our hearts every day that we live in hope and in freedom: Jesus Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
 
Alleluia!