The resurrection of Jesus is an event of incalculable significance - it brings hope into every circumstance and gives us hope beyond the walls of this world. It means everything is going to be alright!

Luke 24:1-9

Very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared.

They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.

So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus.

As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes.

The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive?

He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee,

that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.”

Then they remembered that he had said this.

So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened.

Acts 4:2

[the disciples were] “proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead”

1 Corinthians 15:20

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

Revelations 3:20

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”

1 Peter 1:3, 21

in his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead … and so your faith and hope are in God.

Philippians 3:8-11

… that I may gain Christ

and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.

I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Worship in the ancient world had everything to do with negotiating with the gods / attempting to manipulate the gods. The Cross defines Christian worship - and forever changed “worship” - because God has given a once for all sacrifice. What more was there to manipulate God for? Worship now is all about remembering and celebrating what God has already done. Let’s do that this Good Friday.

Often in life we can be so much more concerned with who, what, and where that we don't stop and consider the why. Why am I here? But at some point this question rises to the forefront. So why are we here? As we look for the answer to the question of purpose, we'll look to Jesus to shed some light on the matter.

-Jesus, Matthew 5:14-16

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.

Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

-Jesus, Matthew 5:14-16 (Message Version).

Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colours in the world.

God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill.

If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand.

Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.