Readings:
Acts 5:27-32;
Psalm 118:14-end;
Revelation 1:4-8;
John 20:19-end

Collect:
Risen Christ,
for whom no door is locked, no entrance barred:
open the doors of our hearts,
that we may seek the good of others
and walk the joyful road of sacrifice and peace,
to the praise of God the Father. Amen.

Reflection - Impacts of Easter

So here we are this week when we enter into the SECOND Sunday of Easter: the lilies are browning around the edges, the ears are off the chocolate bunny, the Easter dress is at the cleaners and the awesome impact of those “alleluias” denied to us during the somber days of Lent fades as we get back to business as usual. There’s no question that we know how to do Easter as an event, but the right question should be …. how do we see Easter as a way of life? 

Or better still, let me ask you—what difference does Easter make? Does it really matter? How does it impact the way you live your life on a daily basis? the reality is that even people who believe Jesus rose from the grave on the third day sometimes have difficulty articulating its relevancy to their lives. When Jesus got up and walked out of that tomb, he changed everything—for you, for me, for the whole world. I want to share with you three simple ways that the resurrection has impacted my life and the lives of untold myriads of believers and they can all be found right here in the gospel reading for this Sunday – John 20:19-31.

I HAVE PEACE! When Jesus appeared to his disciples that first Easter Sunday, the first words out of his mouth were, “Peace be with you!” (John 20:19). The peace Jesus spoke of was more than just a sense of calmness or tranquillity. It was the Hebrew word shalom and it was pregnant with meaning. It meant wholeness, completeness, serenity, and harmony of life. At the very center of this peace is peace with God—reconciliation with the one who breathed life into the universe. 

When God created Adam and Eve, He gave them the Garden of Eden as a perfect paradise. He came and walked with them and talked with them and they had peace with God. Then came the tragedy of sin, and humanity was alienated from God. That wonderful peace was shattered. Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. His shed blood was our only way out of this mess. Jesus died and rose from the grave so that you and I could have peace with God. Because he lives, I have peace with God. Because of him, I have a relationship with the Creator of the universe and so can anyone who is willing to surrender their lives to him.

I HAVE A PURPOSE! I want you to catch the next thing Jesus said. He tells his disciples: “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (John 20:21). Where was he sending them? Everywhere. In other words, they were going to become ambassadors of Christ. Their mission, should they choose to accept it, was to spread the word about the cross and the empty tomb—to share the message of Jesus with their friends, neighbours, and relatives. They would use their love, their lives, and their lips to testify about power of the cross and the promise of eternal life.

At some point in your life, you have to ask yourself, “Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going?” Science attempts to answer the first question, and philosophy wrestles with the second; but only Jesus offers a meaningful answer to all three. The search for the meaning of life has puzzled people for thousands of years, primarily, because we typically begin at the wrong starting point—ourselves. We ask self-centred questions like: What do I want to be? What should I do with my life? What are my goals, my ambitions, my dreams for my future? But focusing on ourselves will never reveal our life’s purpose. I don’t know if anyone has ever told you this, but life’s not all about you. It’s about him. Because of Jesus, I know why I exist and what I’m supposed to do with my time here on earth. Because he lives, my life has purpose.

I HAVE A PROMISE At the end of this encounter with the risen Christ, John tells us, “these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31 NIV). That is the promise of John 3:16 too, isn’t it? “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall no perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 NIV).

All throughout his ministr y Jesus promised life-everlasting to those who believe in him. Jesus said so clearly, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10 NKJV). It’s that abundant life that we anticipate as believers. Many people today hope for a long and happy life, but Jesus offers so much more. He offers forever— an eternity, which is life without end! The promise of life everlasting is the heartbeat of hope. And the resurrection of Jesus ensures that we too will be resurrected just like Jesus when we die because Jesus has already promised that wherever he is, there we shall also be.

Adedayo Adebiyi