Don't Wait Until Next Easter
Paul Tripp
I live in downtown Philadelphia, and when the Phillies won the World Series in 2008, the celebration was unlike anything I've ever experienced. Tens of thousands of people spilled into the streets late at night to celebrate the victory. Total strangers became best friends for hours as the city rejoiced in unison.
A few days later, I walked down the very same street. It was different, shockingly different. I felt let down; to be honest, the drastic change was depressing for me. I wanted to see crowds hugging and high-fiving and dancing. I wanted to hear people singing and shouting and crying with joy. But the street was empty and littered with trash.
Sadly, I think the same can be said of the Church after Easter. We celebrate on Sunday with vigor, but a few days later, we fall back into the same mundane pattern of everyday life. We often live as if Easter hasn't happened.
WHY WE CELEBRATE EASTER SUNDAY
I love Sundays, but I love Easter Sunday even more. In one culminating and specific moment in history, Jesus Christ summarizes and finalizes the salvation narrative. There are 6 things in particular that I love about the Empty Tomb.
1. The Empty Tomb reveals that God is faithful
Centuries earlier, after Adam and Eve rebelled, God promised that he would crush wrong once and for all (Genesis 3:15). He vowed to send his Son to defeat sin and death by his crucifixion and resurrection. For thousands of years, God neither forgot nor turned from his promise. He didn't grow weary, nor would he be distracted. He made a promise, and he controlled the events of history so that at just the right moment, Jesus Christ would come and fulfill what had been promised.
2. The Empty Tomb reveals that God is powerful
Think of the authority you would have to have to control all the situations, locations and relationships in order to guarantee that Jesus would come at the precise moment and do what he was appointed to do. Also, could there be a more pointed demonstration of power than to have power over death (1 Corinthians 15:55)? By God's awesome power, Jesus took off his grave clothes and walked out of that tomb. Those guys in power-lifting competitions may be able to pull a firetruck with their teeth, but they'll all die, and there's nothing they can do about it.