Holy WeekSample

Today we read about the very first ever Easter Sunday, but it looked a little different than ours does today. Instead of bright Easter dresses, fun egg hunts, brunches, and baskets filled with candy, the first celebration was a bit…confusing. And none were more confused than two of Jesus’ disciples walking along the road to Emmaus. The man that they had followed for the past three years was dead. The miracles that they had seen Him do were over. The stories that he had told and the sermons that he had taught were finished. The movement that they had given their life to being a part of was gone. Jesus was dead and so was their hope for a new way of life.

Or was it? After Jesus walked part of the way with these disciples He broke bread with them, their eyes were opened and they recognized Him. Full of joy they rushed back to Jerusalem, found the other disciples, and told them about the resurrected Jesus they had just encountered. Their walk to Emmaus may have been despondent, hopeless, and aimless but their run back to Jerusalem was full of joy, hope and purpose. The movement that they thought was over was really just getting started.

You see, that’s the thing about Jesus’s resurrection:It didn’t end with just Him. His resurrection turned a bunch of sad and dejected followers into passionate missionaries willing to give their lives to spread the name of Jesus. Jesus’s resurrection resurrected their dreams, their hopes, and their lives as well.

And Jesus does the same for us, too. Peter, one of the first witnesses of this resurrected Jesus, writes this in 1 Peter 1:3, “In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” As believers, we are resurrected into new life through Christ’s resurrection. As Jesus was risen from the dead, so too are we.

No longer do we live purposeless, hopeless, and joyless lives. As believers, it’s Easter Sunday every day. We get to live out our resurrection life today, tomorrow, and forever. Are you fully living out yours? And if so, have you run to tell others about this Jesus you’ve encountered? Just like these disciples, once your eyes have been opened to the resurrected Jesus your life will never be the same.

1. If you’ve been a Christian for a while, you’ve probably read this story many, many times. Read it again and ask God for a fresh perspective. Is there a new detail that stood out to you as you read it again? Is there a character you identify with in this story?
2. When did you first experience the life-changing power of Jesus’ resurrection? Remember how it felt to have your sins forgiven and your life made new. (And, if you haven’t yet trusted in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins, let today be the day. Resurrection life is waiting for you!)
3. Are you living out your resurrected life or are you stuck in patterns of death and destruction? What sins do you need to throw off so that you can run and tell others the Good News?