I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.

John 11:25-26

Here is what seems plain to me about Easter and the whole Paschal Mystery:

Jesus, through his incarnation, life, death, resurrection, and ascension, brought assurance of a new creation that is never-ending:

He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish. 1 Peter 1:3

Jesus, through his incarnation, life, death, resurrection, and ascension, brought assurance of our inclusion in the love of the Triune God:

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:13-14

Jesus, through his incarnation, life, death, resurrection, and ascension, brought assurance that God is not angry with us, or surprised by our shortcomings:

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Colossians 1:19-20

Jesus, through his incarnation, life, death, resurrection, and ascension, brought assurance that sin is powerless (or rather, that it only has the power we give it):

For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin. Romans 6:6

Christ defeated sin:

He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we may die to sins and live to righteousness. 1 Peter 2:24

Christ defeated death:

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. Galatians 3:13

The whole story has been about God working his way into our fallen-ness, our darkness, to proclaim his never-ending love for us. When the Trinity decided to create, they must have had this moment in mind as a hinge point in the story of humanity.

This is the moment we discover how much we are loved. It is an extravagant, unyielding love which focuses its attention on you.

I am still sorting through some of the false beliefs I had, but this Easter, my heart does not feel so heavy. His whole incarnation, life, death, resurrection, and ascension was an eternal ‘I do’ to us. It is a message of hope that he has overcome the darkness. It is a message that we do not have to be afraid. We have a King, in heaven, seated at the right hand of the Father, who is utterly for us. He has moved heaven and earth to show his love for us.

He has Risen!