Every Easter we greet each other with a familiar greeting.
Person one will say, “He is risen!” Person two will respond with, “He is risen,
indeed!” In Luke 24 we see a similar proclamation from witnesses at the tomb.
Having encountered the Living Lord they go to the disciples and exclaim, “The
Lord has risen indeed” (v. 34).
This announcement is no mere greeting. It is a victory cry.
It is a shout of new hope, new beginnings, and new opportunity. It holds all
the expectation of new life, forgiveness of sin, and victory over our
struggles. This cry is a cry of dreams fulfilled and optimism for a new future.
The announcement that Christ has risen indeed did not only
provide hope for those first century believers, it is our hope too. Our hope
for the forgiveness of sin, our hope for victory over our struggles, our hope
for a meaningful future. Never let go of the hope that is found in the resurrection
of Christ.
As we consider all that the resurrection of Christ means to
us, we understand why Paul would say, “If Christ has not been raised, your
faith is futile and you are still in your sins…If in Christ we have hope in
this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Cor 15: 17, 19).
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