Alleluia!  What a joy it is to be with all of you this day as we celebrate our incredible God --- a God who loves us more than we could ever imagine.  And on a day such as today, most words just won’t do --- don’t accurately express the joy we are feeling, don’t express the hope that fills our hearts, don’t express the comfort this day brings.  Only one word will do --- alleluia!  It’s been a while since we’ve been able to say that.

And in one sense, we are gathered here because of one thing, one event, one act, one miracle --- the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus.  That goes without saying.  And in the earliest days of Christianity, this one, simple, profound experience was the totality of the Christian message, was the Good News, was about all they could say about what they (or others) had witnessed.  The “meaning” of the death and resurrection of Jesus had yet to be unpacked, yet to be understood, yet to be brought into focus. 

And now, for the past two thousand years, the countless faithful (that includes you and me) have been trying to unpack this great mystery, trying to understand more clearly what it meant back then and what it means today --- for me and for you. 

And so we can say all sorts of things about Easter that would have been impossible for those first believers, for we have been contemplating it, wondering about it, praying about it, and puzzling over it since that first Easter morning.

And so, we are able to see today as the day we are “saved” --- rescued from the darkness of sin and every other darkness.  What in your life needs to be illuminated by the light of Christ?  Today’s the day for us to start letting his light in.

And we are able to see today as day of redemption --- a kind of “paying the price” by the Lord Jesus on our behalf --- a “buying back” of what we had forfeited --- in order to restore our rightful relationship with the Father --- something we could never do on our own.  Today’s the day to truly accept God’s forgiveness, and let go once and for all / the burdens we have been carrying around. 

And we are able to see today as a day of overwhelming hope, a realizing of a possibility of life with God for all eternity, a door we had once closed through the choices we had made.  What in your life feels hopeless?  Today’s the day to discard cynicism and pessimism, and replace them with deep hope and confidence and trust in God and each other.

And we are able to see today as evidence of God keeping his promises, a kind of profound faithfulness we all aspire to, but (sadly) fall short of time and time again.  Who in your world needs your complete trust, your complete confidence --- needs to know that they can always count on you?  Today’s the day to start being there for someone who could really use a true friend.

And we are able to see today as a re-creation ---- a re-establishment of the Garden we once occupied.  In what ways are you contributing to the world being a better place, being more like the world God first created?  Today’s the day to see God’s creation (every single thing and every person) as being beautiful and worthy of our care.

And we are able to see today as a revealing of the holy pattern for each of our lives (what we call the Paschal Mystery).  When in your life has God brought something good out of something painful, disappointing, or tragic?  Today’s the day to be sincerely grateful for the blessings we are aware of and the blessings known to God alone.

And we are able to see today as crystal-clear evidence that love always wins, that God always wins.  In what areas of your life do you find it tough to love, tough to forgive?  Today’s the day to always choose the loving thing --- no matter how difficult.

All of those things show us the incredible power of this day, a power unleashed on the world through the saving acts of one man, one God, one divine person willing to go where we are so often unwilling to go.  He followed a path we so often try to avoid.  He remained faithful --- even in the face of great suffering --- rather than choose an easier way.  He refused to become someone he wasn’t, refused to become anything but his truest self.  And he showed us completely and for all time what love can achieve --- a love that has no conditions, a love that doesn’t count the cost.

And the meaning of this day --- the power and possibilities it provides --- do not only apply to what we believe happens after our earthly lives have ended.  We don’t have to wait a lifetime.  No, Easter also means something for each of our lives right now --- in this time and place, in this very moment.

And our loving God would like nothing more than to show us that truth, wants to pour his grace, his very life into every corner of our lives --- transforming every disappointment into joy, bathing every speck of darkness with light, raising us up from everything that’s weighing us down and holding us back (every pain, sorrow, emptiness, sin).

Put simply --- he wants to help us live the most beautiful, loving, meaningful lives ever.

Let’s let him.  He is risen!  Alleluia!