Today is Easter. Resurrection Sunday.
It’s the day we say, “He is risen!”—and we respond, “He is risen indeed!”
But here’s the question I want us to wrestle with today:
What if the resurrection isn’t just about what happened to Jesus—what if it’s about what’s possible for us?
What if Easter is not just the celebration of an empty tomb, but the invitation to a flourishing life—a life that begins in the garden of resurrection and spills out into every broken place we’ve ever walked?
So today, let’s walk through four moments from Jesus’ resurrection story that show us how flourishing rises from the ashes, one step at a time.
When Hope Walks Out with You
📖 John 20:1–18
Mary Magdalene shows up at the tomb expecting to find death. She’s grieving. Confused. Maybe even angry.
She doesn’t find Jesus' body.
Instead, she finds an empty space.
She finds angels asking her why she’s crying.
And then—Jesus Himself stands there… but she doesn’t recognize Him at first.
Until He says her name.
“Mary.”
That’s when everything changes.
Because flourishing doesn’t begin with answers—it begins with presence.
It begins when the risen Christ calls you by name.
Mary thought the garden was a grave. But resurrection turned it into Eden again.
A place of new beginnings.
Sometimes God’s greatest work in your life will begin in the places where all hope seemed lost.
The resurrection means your worst day is not the end of the story.
When God Walks With You in Disappointment
📖 Luke 24:13–35
Two disciples are walking away from Jerusalem. Away from everything they hoped Jesus would be.
They’re discouraged. Confused. They’re on the road to Emmaus, trying to make sense of it all.
And Jesus shows up. He walks beside them. But again—they don’t recognize Him.
He asks what they’re talking about.
He listens. He teaches.
And then, as they break bread together, their eyes are opened.
They say, “Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked with us on the road?”
Jesus walks with us in our disappointment, not just our victories.
Even when we don’t see Him, He’s there.
And when the Word of God opens your heart, even the darkest road can become sacred.
Flourishing isn’t about clarity—it’s about presence.
God doesn’t always fix the path immediately, but He walks it with us.
When Scars Become Signs of Life
📖 John 20:24–29
Thomas wasn’t there the first time Jesus appeared to the disciples.
And when they tell him, “We saw the Lord!”
He says, “Unless I see the marks in His hands… I won’t believe.”
He’s not being dramatic. He’s being honest.
A week later, Jesus shows up again. And this time, He looks right at Thomas and says:
"Put your finger here. Look at my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side."
Jesus didn’t shame him. He invited him.
He didn’t hide His scars—He offered them.
Resurrection life doesn’t erase the wounds. It transforms them.
Your scars are not signs of weakness. They’re signs that you’ve been through the fire—and survived.
Flourishing is about healing, not hiding.
When Grace Restores You
📖 John 21:1–17
After the resurrection, Peter goes back to fishing.
Maybe he’s unsure. Maybe he thinks he’s disqualified himself after denying Jesus three times.
And then Jesus shows up—again, on the shore.
He’s cooking breakfast. Fish over a charcoal fire.
(That detail matters—Peter denied Jesus by a charcoal fire. Now Jesus restores him by one.)
Three times Jesus asks him: “Do you love me?”
Three times Peter answers.
Three times Jesus says: “Feed my sheep.”
Jesus doesn’t just forgive Peter—He restores his purpose.
He gives him back his calling.
Flourishing isn’t just about being healed. It’s about being sent again, with love, with mission, and with grace.
Resurrection is the Beginning of a Flourishing Christian Life
So what does resurrection life really mean?
It means hope finds you when you think you’ve lost everything.
It means Jesus walks with you, even when you don’t see Him.
It means your wounds can become your witness.
It means you are never too far gone to be restored.
💬 “He is risen” isn’t just a line for Sunday morning—it’s a declaration for Monday, Tuesday, and every day after.
The empty tomb isn’t the end of the story—it’s the launch point of a flourishing life.
Not a perfect life. Not a pain-free life.
But a life rooted in grace, ignited by hope, and sustained by the presence of the risen Jesus.
So wherever you are today—whether you’re standing at the tomb, walking a lonely road, feeling your wounds, or wondering if God still wants to use you—
Let me remind you:
Resurrection is real.
Jesus is alive.
And flourishing is still possible.
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