More Than a Celebration: Living as Resurrection People

Easter Sunday is full of joy. The flowers bloom, the songs soar, and the cry echoes: “Christ is risen!”
But then what?

Luke 24:1–12 tells the story of the first Easter morning. A group of women go to the tomb at dawn with spices in their hands and grief in their hearts. But what they find changes everything: the stone is rolled away, the tomb is empty, and two angels declare the news that reshaped the world—“He is not here; He has risen!”

We know this story. We celebrate it every spring, but the resurrection was never meant to be just a moment on the calendar—it was always meant to be the power that defines our lives. We aren’t just called to celebrate that Christ is risen; we are called to live as resurrection people.

1. Resurrection People Live in Hope, Not in Fear

The women came to the tomb expecting death. What they found was life.
The resurrection flips the script. It tells us that the worst thing is never the last thing.
Yes, we will still face grief, pain, and fear—but resurrection people don’t live in fear. We live through it, anchored in the hope that Jesus has overcome the grave.

Resurrection means that despair doesn’t get the final word. Hope does.
That changes how we pray, how we serve, and how we move forward when life breaks us down.

2. Resurrection People Remember What Jesus Said

The angels tell the women: “Remember how He told you...”
And suddenly it all clicks. They remember His words—not just about His death, but His promise to rise.

In a world filled with noise, doubts, and bad news, resurrection people are those who remember what Jesus said.
We remember His words when life is dark: “I am the resurrection and the life.”
We remember His promise when we feel abandoned: “I am with you always.”
We remember His call to love, to forgive, to serve—because resurrection isn't just a fact; it’s a way of life.

3. Resurrection People Tell the Story

The women ran from the tomb, not to hide this miracle, but to share it.
Even when the disciples didn’t believe them, they kept telling the story.

Resurrection people are not silent people.
We speak life where there is death. We speak peace where there is chaos. We speak Christ where there is confusion.
We tell the story not just with our lips, but with our lives—through radical love, courageous generosity, and Spirit-filled joy.

4. Resurrection People Don’t Stay at the Tomb

The women came to the tomb, but they didn’t stay there.
Because resurrection people don’t linger in dead places.
We don’t keep revisiting shame, guilt, or sin. We don’t live trapped by the past.
We move forward—into the world, into the mission, into the new life Christ has made possible.

So Now What?

We’ve shouted “He is risen!”
Now it’s time to live like it.

Live like death doesn’t own you.
Love like grace has freed you.
Serve like Jesus is alive and walking beside you.

Because He is.
Let’s be more than Easter people.
Let’s be resurrection people.

In God’s grip,

Pastor Chuck Church