In this sermon, we looked at the powerful hope found in the resurrection of Jesus. Before the resurrection, Jesus’ followers were in the middle of the greatest tragedy in human history: The Son of God was brutally put to death for our sins. His followers had placed all of their hope in one man and this man, their Messiah, had been killed. In Luke 24, Mary Magdalene and Mary, Jesus’ mother, visited the tomb to drop off spices they had prepared for the body of Jesus. To their surprise, they found the tomb empty and two angelic beings who reminded them that Jesus had said He would be crucified, buried, and raised from the dead on the third day. With great excitement, they immediately left the tomb to go tell the world about the risen Savior. The resurrection isn’t the end of the story; after the resurrection, Jesus transferred to His followers His mission to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Easter is not the happy ending; it’s the happy beginning that reminds us that something new has begun. Like the women at the tomb on the first Easter morning, our mission for Jesus began at the resurrection and continues until He returns.
