Easter Sunrise (2026)

1 Corinthians 15

Easter Sunrise -- 2026

Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed Alleluia!! Praise be to God for Jesus’ victory over the powers of sin, death, and the devil himself, the grave did not hold him captive, Satan did not lure him into sin, and even though he bore our sins to the Cross, and was punished and died with them upon him, he rises this morning from the dead, to show that the power of sin and death is over! Sin has been conquered, Death defeated, and Satan’s grip on mankind is not absolute, Jesus has bound the strong man that He might resuce us and separated us from Satan’s final prison of hell, that we might go to our Father in heaven in peace, and Satan and his forces will be banished unto that eternal torment that Christ endured so that we might have a place in God’s Kingdom! That’s why we joyfully say, Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed Alleluia!

So it is surprising to find that in our Epistle Lesson, that there were those who were denying the resurrection of Jesus in the Church at Corinth. The resurrection contradicts what most people experience, what people see, what they understand. We all long for to see someone again alive, walking around, visiting with us. For we do not want death to reign and to steal from us not only our lives, but the lives of our neighbors, our parents, our children. We want them to be health and whole and alive again. You can understand why there were some questions, and perhaps you yourself have had some doubts.

For how many people have you seen rise from the dead? People have tried to come up with theories to explain this away to say that Jesus didn’t actually die, and the Romans who were well practiced at executing people made a mistake, and Jesus slipped off the cross, or evaded capture, and that he didn’t actually die. If you look at the evidence, what do you have? A public trial, a public execution, a public burial, and then Jesus appears to more than 500 of the brothers after His death and Resurrection. Those eyewitnesses confessed that they saw Jesus alive with their own eyes even unto the point of gruesome tortorous deaths.

People have tried to disprove, but they haven’t been able to do it. They don’t like it, but they cannot deny this fact that on Easter morning the Tomb was empty, there was no body in the tomb to bring out and prove that Jesus, who had been executed publicly was still dead. If no one saw him you would be right to ask questions, but Jesus went around visiting people around the area, just days after His death. If rumors would have started 100s of mile away, or centuries after his death, those would be good reasons to doubt, but they don’t, it starts in Jerusalem, 3 days after his death, because the fact is that Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed Alleluia!

You can’t deny the Resurrection. It’s a historic event, that Jesus is alive, that’s the very foundation of our faith, for if Christ has not been raised then we are still trapped in our sins, and there is no hope of salvation for anyone. But by Jesus’ resurrection, His victory over death and His resurrection are meant as comfort for you and shows us the hope that is found in Christ alone. Last Sunday I spoke about the dire plight that mankind faced, by Adam’s sin the whole human race had been sold into slavery, and held captive by the power of sin and death, but Satan had enlisted in his conflict against God, and thrown us on the front lines to see the Father in heaven as a terrible and wrathful God, for Satan did not want us to have any hope of salvation. Would even use the death of Jesus to convice us that if a perfect man like him ended up in the grave, what hope do you or I have?

This hope is what mankind has longed for, and it sounds too good to be true. It’s why there were so many witnesses, that it wasn’t just one person, but many people saw him after, to be able to confess and share with people who were scared, concerned, and had doubts that the message was true. The grave could not hold Him in, Jesus not only defeated sin, death, and the power of the devil. Jesus rose again from the dead to calm our hearts and assure us He defeated death for you.

You might say, well even for a person whose sins are as bad as mine. Look at our Gospel lesson, when Jesus tells Mary to go to the disciples what does he call them? His brothers, and that He is ascending not just to His father, but to Your Father to my God and your God. Why say that? Well what had Peter done friday morning? Denied him 3 times. Where were the disciples? They abandoned him in his darkest hour. They saw the wrath of God against sin upon the Cross, and the punishment that they deserved, and they knew they had failed. Jesus had every right to deny them, to chastise them, and to forsake them after He had been forsaken, but He doesn’t He calls them His brothers, and tells that God is their father for they have been adopted into God’s family by Christ.

Jesus knew the price that had to be paid, He knew that they would flee, and yet out of Love for them, He allowed Himself to be crucified, and put to death that salvation might belong to those who had denied Him. On this morning, after His resurrection, He wants them to know that He secured peace even for sinners like them. So when we talk about the resurrection, and we talk about the hope we have in Christ it is meant for all people, even you. No matter how awful your sins are, for His Resurrection defeated the power of sin, death, and the devil. He secured this victory for you, and has promised that His Resurrection is Your Resurrection.

Well why does that matter? The reason we die, the reason loved ones are taken away from us is because of sin. Death is the consequence for sin, it is a price that we all pay, and it rules over us. Since Christ is Risen, He is risen Indeed Alleluia, the power of sin has been overcome. Now sin didn’t just kill us, it also separates us from God, and by the resurrection Christ has shown that divide has been healed, and that he can brought you into His Kingdom.

This of course is a comfort first and foremost for you especially if your sins are weighing you down, if you recognize the price of your sins, and wonder how does God feel about me? For the Law paints a gruesome picture, but to see the Son of God out of the tomb walking around, and telling Mary to share this good news with the disciples is a cause for great joy. For if their sins are forgiven, then your sins are forgiven too. For the promises Jesus made weren’t just for the disciples, but for the whole world. This means that death will not be your end, you need not fear the grave any more than you fear your bed, for it is but a place that we will slumber for a little while we wait for that trumpet call that calls forth all the dead from the grave. This is a great comfort for you, and also a great comfort for those you leave behind.

For when we die, there are those who will mourn our passing, just as we have mourned the passing of others, and when they are laid to rest in the grave, they are laid to rest trusting in the promises and hope of Christ our Lord. For they shall rise again from death, and for the Resurrection isn’t just about Jesus rising from the dead, it is that Jesus offers eternal life to all who believe and are baptized. He is the Resurrection and the Life, and that hope of salvation belongs to all of those who die in the faith. As we are reunited with those dear saints before the throne of God in heaven.

This my Brothers and Sisters in Christ, is why we rejoice on Easter morning, and celebrate the Resurrection of Christ, for sin has been conquered, death defeated, and Satan cast down, and Jesus has thrown open the gates of heaven for He has won. For Christ is Risen, He is Risen Indeed Alleluia, Amen.