Even Better Sunday

"O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory 

through our Lord Jesus Christ.

- 1 Corinthians 15:55-57, ESV

On Friday he died, shattering the Earth but bridging the chasm between Heaven and Hell. On Saturday the earth stood still, torn by its loss and stung by hopelessness.

But on Sunday, that all changed. With his resurrection, the powers of Hell were conquered.

When the stone was rolled away and the empty tomb was exposed, when Jesus appeared to his disciples, when he showed his scarred hands, his scarred feet, his pierced side, what was bleak became bright.

Life - hope - was restored.

And we can have new life, too, if only we ask Him.

Sin is death. It kills us, from the inside out. But by surrendering himself - in our stead - on the cross, Jesus Christ became our sin, became our death, so we don't have to die.

Christ conquered death, and because of that now we can have the hope that allows us to see and to live beyond the grave. We can live forever with Jesus Christ, spending eternity worshiping Him in a heaven beyond our wildest expectations.

Because Christ rose from the grave, through the Holy Spirit we have in us the power of the resurrection - a power not of revenge, but of redemption. 

It's the power of a promise fulfilled; it's the power of Life and the power of Love; the power of a sin not just forgiven but vanquished; the power of a life renewed and a hope restored; the power of a love exhibited and a sacrifice given freely; the power of a victory over Satan, sin and Hell. 

But it's more than that. It's the power of a sickness healed; the power of an addiction conquered; the power of a sinful self washed away; the power of a man born again; the power of a fresh start; the power of a life dedicated to spreading the Good News that - thank God - that grave was empty.

When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, He gives us this power through the Holy Spirit.

Yes - once Sunday came, the same power that conquered the grave now lives in us.

And we thought Friday was good.