"He is risen!" - that is a baffling statement

This weekend, my feed was filled with lovely posts from friends celebrating Easter. Over and over again, I saw ⁠ "He is risen!" ⁠ ⁠

And it hit me anew. ⁠ ⁠

Do you know how powerful that statement is? It's not just a cute mantra we spout on Easter Sunday. It's not a prompt or a happy little rhyme we say with our kids. It's not a gimmick to sound holy. ⁠ ⁠

It is a denial of reality. ⁠ ⁠

People don't come back from the dead. And people definitely don't stay alive forever. ⁠ ⁠

Yet, He did. ⁠He is.⁠ ⁠

Jesus Christ was very much dead. They cut him open there on the cross and his blood was separating (John 19:34). ⁠That only happens to dead people.⁠ ⁠

Guys, this little phrase we say, these three tiny words...⁠ this is the very foundation of our faith! ⁠ And it's astounding. It's baffling. It's nearly impossible to wrap your head around if you really sit down and think about it. ⁠ ⁠

Yet, if I'm to have any hope for myself, I have to believe it. ⁠ (Romans 10:9 "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;")⁠ ⁠

How can I trust someone with my life, with my very soul, if they are dominated by death? If they are limited in all the ways I am, how can they do anything for me? ⁠ ⁠

He isn't. He is the God before the world even existed (John 1:1&14), before death was even a thing. He is not confined by it. ⁠ ⁠

And that, my dear friends, is a most reassuring thought! ⁠ ⁠

I do not follow a dead teacher. I do not serve a god stuck in the grave. I do not live for the words of someone who will pass away.⁠ ⁠

I have been saved by One who has power over death, and I trust Him with every fiber of my being to care for my heart, mind, and soul. I follow a God who is living!⁠ ⁠

For He is risen, indeed. ⁠