He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. (Matt 28:6)

The Easter message is “Christ Is Risen!” Jesus is alive and invites all to “Come.” The message of Easter is that Jesus is risen, alive, and invites us to come and meet with Him. On Easter Sunday many people will fill places of worship around the world, but who will make time to be alone with Jesus? After Jesus was risen from the tomb, He could have met His disciples at the temple, or on the crowded streets of Jerusalem, but He desired to be alone with His dearest friends. He sent a special message to them that they should meet Him in Galilee, the place where their faith began. This is the same message that Jesus had given the disciples during the Last Supper, saying, “But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee” (Mt 26:32). On that first Easter, Jesus desired to be with His friends, to encourage them, to strengthen, and remind them of the faith that they had entrusted in Him. The women who visited the tomb on that Resurrection morning were disappointed that they did not find Jesus where they expected, but first heard the message that exceeded expectations unimaginable “He is not here, He is risen.” Hearing the message “He is risen,” they ran with “fear and great joy…to bring His disciples word” (Mt 28:8). Their hearts rejoiced that Jesus was alive, but fear also came upon them for what they may face when they would see Him because they had forsaken, fled, and hid themselves. Peter had gone so far as to deny Him after boasting that he would never leave the Lord even if the others did so (Mt 26:35). He was calling them back to the place where He first met them and called them. He would renew their faith and restore fellowship with them. My friend, Jesus is calling His children back to that simpler time when we first came to know Him, when we were in awe of Him, when spending time with Him was our greatest desire. Though our devotion to the Lord has waned and faltered, and though we may have grieved the Holy Spirit our words or our actions, and our hearts feel a million miles away from God, Jesus says unto us “Come.” Come aside with Him and be restored with greater faith, greater joy, greater hope, and renewed in fellowship Him. Dear friend, let us join together on Easter Sunday and joyfully cry out, “Jesus is risen!” Yet let us also hear Him say “Come unto Me” (Mt 11:28) that we may go to Him and meet with Him in our private place, spend time with Him, worship Him, and follow Him. Father thank You for Your love and the invitation to be with You. I rejoice in the Resurrected Christ, and the fellowship of His salvation. “He is risen!” In the blessed Name of Jesus. Amen.