On Easter morning our joy is about many things. We are happy that Jesus rose from the dead. We are happy that we can come to church and sing the beautiful Easter songs. We are even happy that Easter Bunny brought us eggs and candy. But we are happiest that just as Jesus rose from the grave, we too shall rise and live eternally with Jesus in heaven.

On the first Easter, the Women did not start the day with joy, but rather with sadness. Their good friend and teacher, Jesus, had died. They were not looking for Easter eggs; they were looking for the tomb of Jesus. They were going to finish the funeral service by anointing the body of Jesus with spices. When they saw the stone rolled away and the empty tomb, on top of their sadness there was fear and confusion. But when they heard the angelfs message, they became happy, and their joy was made full when they met the risen Lord Jesus.

The joy of the women was different than ours. Our joy is joy for ourselves. We are happy that we shall live forever. We are happy that Jesus died on the cross to forgive our sin and rose on the third day to reconcile us to God the Father. We are happy, and rightly so. But the women on that first Easter had a different joy. Their joy was not for themselves, but for Jesus. Jesus was their friend, their teacher, a person they loved. When he died so tragically, they were deeply saddened. But when Jesus arose from the dead, they were filled with joy. It is the joy we feel when someone who is very sick recovers. It is the joy we feel when someone we love is in a terrible accident and almost dies, but then recovers. It is the joy we feel when a loved one is lost and feared dead, but then is found. The Women were happy for Jesus. They loved Jesus and so were overjoyed that he was alive.

On this Easter, let us rejoice that our friend Jesus is alive and not dead anymore. This is the joy of love. This would be enough reason to rejoice. But there is a bonus too. That bonus is that just as Jesus rose from the grave, we shall too. Our hope for eternal life is made sure in Jesus Christ. We are more sure of all of the promises of God. That hope and certainty is the source of our Easter joy.

How do we express this joy? We sing. We give gifts of eggs and candy. We wear spring clothes. We eat a feast. We pray. We worship. We confess our faith. Today there is the baptism for Ami and Kaito Taira. Baptism is the power of Easter. Even if we use only a small amount of water, the symbol is of washing away our sins and the symbol of drowning. We drown to sin, but are resurrected in the new life of Jesus. Baptism is an Easter event.

Amen.

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