Easter 2025 Sermons

“Christ is risen – he is risen indeed, alleluia.” Church services up and down the land will begin with this bold acclamation this Easter Sunday. He is risen – the tomb was empty, many eye-witnesses testified to seeing Jesus alive, indeed as the apostle Paul argued: ‘these things were not done in a corner,’ they were in the open, it was public and it caused the Church to explode into life. Resurrection is credible. He is risen. Here is the heart of our hope: a risen Jesus declares the triumph of the cross, the resurrection demonstrates that it really is ‘finished,’ justice done, sin atoned for; therefore the jailer of death has lost all right to hold all those for whom Jesus paid. His resurrection guarantees his follower’s resurrection, this is our certain hope. He is risen!

We continue the Easter Season thinking about the testimony to the resurrection. Luke records the surprise of Cleopas on the road to Emmaus, he’d mistakenly thought Jesus ignorant of recent events; ‘Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened?’ After all, it was the talk of the town. However, it was not Jesus who lacked insight, so, ‘beginning with Moses… he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.’ Jesus opened up the testimony of the scriptures to what had taken place, Easter was according to plan. In Matthew, the gospel that declares Jesus as the one with all authority, over all people, for all time, we hear Jesus’ command to his followers to bear testimony, to make disciples of all nations. The ‘go and tell’ of Easter Sunday continues in this great commission.