In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee.
- Luke 24:5-6
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
- 1 Peter 1:3-5
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve.
- 1 Corinthians 15:3-5
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
- Romans 8:11
1 Peter 1:3-4 ”The Bible describes two inheritances for the believer. All believers have God as their inheritance and as a result will go to heaven when they die (see Gal 4:7). This inheritance is received on the grounds of faith alone. However, another inheritance is offered on the basis of works as a reward or payment for faithful service (Col 3:24; 1Pe 1:4,6–7).”
- Dorothy Kelley Patterson, General Editor, NIV Woman’s Study Bible (Mary Kassian, General Epistles and Revelation contributor)
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
- Apostle’s Creed
The Message
From the Scriptures above, the resurrection changes everything. As the song goes, “Because He lives, I can see tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone.”
We do not just believe in something that happened 2000 years ago. We believe in a living Christ today.
And that belief means that we trust a living Jesus Christ who loves us and calls us His brothers and sisters.
In one of the Lee Strobel books, he points out that the apostles all died martyr’s deaths. They could have recanted and said they simply made up the story, but all went to their deaths. They were all eyewitnesses to something that they could never deny. Jesus Christ had died and they saw Him alive again. They walked with Him, talked with Him, ate the fish He fired on the shore of the Sea.
And with that knowledge that Jesus is alive and that He promised to make a mansion for us in Heaven, we have that Hope of living with Him forever. Jesus is God and God does not renege on His promises.
And now let us sing.
The following song is Jesus Christ Is Risen Today. This is sung by choir of St Michael and All Angels.
Closing Prayer
Dear Lord,
We believe in You. We trust You. You arose from the grave. You conquered death and showed us the way to conquering death ourselves. Thank You, Lord. There is no need to fear death. Praise Your Holy Name.
In Thy name we pray,
Amen
Soli Deo Gloria. Only to God be the Glory.
Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley 
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