The Day That Changes Everything

Holiday traditions are a pretty big deal at our house. My husband and I come from The United States and Australia, so we have woven our family and national traditions together to make unique holiday memories and experiences for our kids. My husband has learned to appreciate a great 4th of July BBQ and fireworks, I’ve had to learn how to make hot cross buns so that we have a supply for Easter. This year we’ve been trying out some new recipes with mixed success. Please feel free to reach out if you have any tips! If you’ve never had them, they are usually spiced bread rolls with dried fruit and spices, with a contrasting cross on top. My husband is uncompromising on a few points: they must stick to that simple spice and fruit combo (no chocolate or other complicated flavor combinations); and the crosses must be made of flour paste, not icing. No matter how you take them, they are delicious.  

There is some debate about the origin of the hot cross bun: some say it start with an Anglo-Saxon monk in the early 14th Century who marked the buns in the monastery with a cross so that no one else would die from the plague. Some think that the roots go further back to pagan traditions of marking bread as an offering for the gods with an X, or that the four sections represent seasons or moon phases. I’m not here to debate where the tradition started, but one thing we can all identify for sure is that hot cross buns are one of the few things you could find in the grocery store this time of year that points to the death and resurrection of Jesus. So, I’m thankful to keep that tradition alive at our house. We look forward to them each Spring, especially on Good Friday. 

Good Friday is good for one reason: because Sunday is coming. I truly believe that the resurrection of Jesus Christ changes everything—not just in some distant theological sense, but for you, right here, right now. It touches your past, transforms your present, and anchors your future in hope. 

This isn’t just a message for one Sunday morning a year. This is a message for your life. The message is that Resurrection Day changes everything.  

Your Past: Redeemed, Not Defined 

Let’s start with your past. There are things behind you that you’re not proud of things that you’ve tried to forget. The decisions that still haunt you and the people you’ve hurt. Moments that changed you in ways you didn’t want. I want you to hear this clearly: the resurrection says your past does not define you. 

In Romans 4:25, the Bible says, “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” In other words, Jesus didn’t just die for your sins—He rose to declare that you are forgiven, clean, and right with God. 

If the cross was the payment, the resurrection is the receipt that says, “Paid in full.” 

So whatever guilt you carry or shame that still creeps in, you don’t have to live under that anymore. Because of the resurrection, your story is not one of defeat—it’s one of redemption. You are not the worst thing you’ve done. You are loved, pursued, and made new. That part of your story you thought God couldn’t use is already being made into beauty from ashes. And here’s where the present part gets good.  

Your Present: Power and a Calling to Live Today 

Life can feel overwhelming. Maybe you’re walking through something that makes you feel stuck, exhausted and unseen. Or maybe you’re just going through the motions, wondering if any of this really matters. I want you to know something: the resurrection gives you strength for this moment, right here. 

The Bible says in Ephesians 1:19–20 that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in you. What a promise! You’re not alone. You’re not left to figure things out by yourself. The Spirit of God—the same Spirit that rolled away the stone—is with you and in you. 

What does that mean practically? It means you have the power to say no to the things that used to control you, courage when you feel afraid and peace when the world around you is shaking. Not only that, but you also have a calling in life. 

Jesus didn’t just come back to life, He came back to bring you full, abundant, here-and-now life (John 10:10). Not perfect circumstances, but real, lasting peace and deep joy. Your life matters—your job, your relationships, your past—because the resurrection proves that God is in the business of bringing life out of death, hope out of despair, and purpose out of pain. He can breathe life into anything. That’s why we’re called to stay here on earth, to spread this message to others.  

Your Future: Anchored in the Hope of Heaven 

If not being defined by your past and being given freedom and calling here on earth were not enough, don’t forget that the resurrection gives you a future that is secure. 

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul calls Jesus the “first fruits” of the resurrection. That means what happened to Jesus is just the beginning. All of us who belong to Him look forward to the same future. Because Jesus rose from the dead, death is not the end for you. That ache you feel when you think about loss or grief or what lies beyond this life? It’s not the end of the story. Because Jesus lives, you will be fully alive with him in heaven. Can you imagine that? The resurrection is the guarantee that the brokenness we see now isn’t forever. It’s a promise that justice will be done, every tear will be wiped away, and love will have the final word. 

It’s one thing to believe about Jesus—it’s something to live with the risen Jesus. Maybe today you needed a reminder, or maybe this is the first time it’s really sinking in. But let me tell you this: 

Jesus is alive. 
He sees you. 
He knows your story. 
And He’s offering you resurrection life—not just one day, but today. 

He is risen… and because of that, everything changes.