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“Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but he has risen.”

Luke 24:5

 

As dawn breaks on Easter morning, Christians will give pause and thanks for the light.

For the light brings not just the new day, but the reminder of the hope and belief that provides the foundation for our faith.

Easter, in the Christian church, is the holiest day – and season – the year.

Egg hunts and floppy-eared bunnies aside, Easter is about resurrection: about life; about hope; and about light.

Throughout the season of Lent and into Holy Week, Christians have walked with Jesus Christ, recalling the indignities and brutalities he willingly suffered to provide salvation for man’s sins. We mourned on Good Friday as we recalled his persecution and crucifixion, remembering the horrific wounds inflicted on the Son of God by heartless humans.

On Saturday, we waited in vigil as we marked the time between Jesus’ death on the cross until his resurrection – when the women who went to the tomb found him risen and gone. He was among the living, not the dead.

And in that act of resurrection, He returned the light to the world and brought us the hope of faith – a belief that we too can conquer death and rise to eternal life with Jesus Christ.

For more than 2,000 years, this singular act of rising has provided the foundation for life for billions of people around the world. It has helped form societies; unite families; shape leaders; foster social justice; and build a following of people who know their lives have a purpose beyond their understanding.

The light that Jesus gave to the world is as real today as it was 2,000 years ago.

And we would do well to focus on that light – to hold fast to it and to do all we can to spread it – today and every day.