Today, churches around the world proclaim, “Jesus Christ is risen,” and celebrate His resurrection with joy. Yet in our daily lives, we often find ourselves lingering in what feels like “Saturday”—the day when Jesus lay in the tomb. The wounds of pain and sorrow, the memories that remain, do not easily disappear. There are moments when our hearts break as we say goodbye to loved ones, when prayers seem to go unanswered, and when God appears silent.
The world is no different. News of war and death continues without end. Yet God challenges us with this question: “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” The resurrection is not merely an event of the past; it is God’s work still unfolding in our lives today.
Rabbis say : “God commanded us to keep the Sabbath for life, but in truth, the Sabbath has kept us alive.” The same is true for us. The Sunday worship each week sustains us and gives us life.
My five-year-old grandson once asked me, “If we can’t see God, how is He real?” He comes from a long line of pastors—his grandfather, great-grandfather, and even earlier generations on both sides—yet he boldly questions the faith of his ancestors. I answered him this way: “You cannot see the love of your parents or grandparents, but you know it is real. In the same way, there is nothing more real in this world than the love of God for you.”
I believe that the resurrection is real. I know this because Jesus came to me when I was as good as being in a tomb and said, “Because I live, you also will live.” Just as God’s love is real, just as the grace of Jesus is real, and just as the power of the Holy Spirit is real—so too, the resurrection of Jesus is truly real.
Every Sunday, as we confess this faith through the Apostles’ Creed, I am reminded how deeply grateful I am. The resurrection of Jesus is real.