If you ever felt defeated, lost, betrayed, let down, you can understand how confused the disciples must have felt when Jesus lay in a tomb. They didn’t get it. But when they met Jesus after his resurrection, you can just imagine their elation. When the angel at the tomb announced to the women: “He is not here; he has risen!” When the men on the road to Emmaus, after talking with Jesus after his resurrection, ran to the disciples and said: “It is true! He is risen!” When the disciples talked and ate with him after his resurrection!

The church all over the world for centuries and in numerous languages has carried on a traditional greeting on Easter Sunday – where one leads in saying: ”Christ is risen” and the church responds: “He is risen indeed!”

My Easter Prayer:

“Dear Jesus… open our hearts, minds and eyes today to understand what you went through for us. Help us to understand that you alone paid for our sin and defeated our brokenness. That we were stuck, dead in our sin before that first Easter morning came.

Lord, wake us up out of defeat, indifference, arrogance, disbelief – to see that you defeated sin and death for us because of your great love.

Today we celebrate that you have risen!

Because of your death and resurrection and if we put our faith in you, you make us pure, righteous, saved, blameless, holy, forgiven, and free from condemnation.

Thank you Jesus that you remembered the criminal on the cross despite his life of destruction, and in a moment you forgave him and welcomed him into your kingdom. Please remember us, forgive us and invite us into your family today.

Thank you that you have defeated our sin, as well as anxiety, depression, painful memories, our fears and insecurities, the shame we may feel because of what’s been done to us in our past, and sinful impulses that seem to control us.

Thank you Jesus that because there is no condemnation, we can have a clear conscience—that your love replaces our darkness, your joy replaces our despair, and your peace replaces our fear.

Thank you that you gave your disciples peace when you appeared to them after your resurrection. We ask for this peace today.

Wake us up Lord to your Truth, to your Love, to your Freedom!

Jesus, today… we declare that you have risen indeed! Amen.