Resurrection Response - Sermon for the Second Sunday of Easter (April 12, 2026)

Scripture Readings: Acts 2:14a, 22–32 | Psalm 16 | 1 Peter 1:3–9 | ​John 20:19–31

“Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’  Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’” (John 20:28-29).
 
Yesterday marked the successful conclusion of NASA’s Artemis II lunar mission, as four brave astronauts, three Americans and one Canadian, safely returned to Earth after travelling farther into space than anyone has before… circling the Moon for the first time since 1972, running all sorts of experiments, and reminding a lot of us here at home the kinds of amazing things that are possible when we humans actually work together. At a time when so much in the news seems to be about wars, and scandals, and serious problems on the horizon, it was certainly refreshing and encouraging to hear about this journey to the Moon… and to consider what the next stages of space travel might entail.
 
Now, I’m too young to remember the first time that humans set foot on the Moon. But that moment really did mark an amazing milestone… a new and unparalleled achievement in the human story… proving that all the hard work and science that went on behind the scenes was trustworthy, vindicating the folks at NASA, and firmly disproving the doubters. It also opened the door for further discoveries… for actively contemplating what comes next… as well as inspiring future generations of would-be astronauts to join in this adventure too. 
 
But as important, and exciting, and inspiring as our human expeditions into space have been, last Sunday we celebrated an even greater moment in the human story: the miracle of Easter… the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The birth of our salvation… and the beginning of God’s New Creation.
 
Easter changes everything. Because Jesus rose from the dead, everything we humans have assumed about the world and its destiny has to be reorganized around this new and amazing event… as the Living God turned tragedy into hope… darkness into light… and even death into life.
 
And so, this morning, we’re going to spend some time reflecting on what the resurrection of Jesus means… the implications of this wonderful reality, and how we might begin to respond to it.

First of all, the resurrection is a vindication of Jesus Christ… proving once and for all that He really was God’s Son, and the Saviour of the world. During his ministry before the cross, Jesus said and did a lot of amazing and challenging things… and even though many were compelled to place their faith in Him, plenty of others had serious doubts about what He was up to.
 
And then when Jesus was arrested and crucified, it seemed like all the nay-sayers were right. I mean, if He was God’s Son, sent to save the world… then why would God let something that horrible happen to Him? No, in their minds, Jesus must have been wrong… or worse, a fraud. Another failed would-be leader who could not even save Himself.
 
But then when Easter morning arrives, and the Risen Jesus meets His friends again, more alive than ever… they could see for themselves that His suffering and death at the cross was not proof of His failure, but of God’s amazing victory over the power of suffering and death itself! What had at first seemed like absolute proof that Jesus could not have been the promised Saviour was transformed into the most convincing sign of God’s power at work in Him.
 
In our first reading today from the Book of Acts Chapter 2, we heard St. Peter say as much to a confused crowd in Jerusalem about the Good News of the resurrection of Jesus.
 
Acts 2:22-24, “Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know— this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power.” (Acts 2:22-24).
 
For St. Peter and the other Apostles, the resurrection vindicated Jesus… proving that He was indeed God’s chosen Messiah, sent to save the world… but in the most surprising way. Not by slaying evildoers, as many expected… but by suffering and dying in their place and for their sake! By laying down His life as a gift of love to turn all our hearts back to God, and to one another… to offer us all forgiveness of our sins, and the promise of New Life.
 
This leads us to our second point: the resurrection of Jesus is an initiation… the beginning of something completely new. What happened at Easter was not just a reversal of death, but the conquering of death. Going through it… experiencing its full force and power… and coming out the other side of death more alive than before.
 
This is a key difference between what happened to Jesus, and the experiences of people like Lazarus, or others who have been resuscitated by miraculous or medical means: they all had to return to the same kind of life they had before… and one day in the future, they would all have to face death again. But Jesus’ resurrection was of a completely different sort.
 
After His resurrection, Jesus was truly alive, not just present as a spirit or ghost with no physical body. But His body has been transformed and filled with God’s New Life in such a way that death has no hold on Him anymore. He’s broken free of its power, and He will never die again.

And the Good News is that what happened to Jesus on Easter morning… His victory over death was only the first step… the first instance of God’s New Creation… a pivotal moment, paving the way for others to follow and share in this new reality one day as well.
 
In our second reading today from St. Peter’s first letter, the apostle wrote to his fellow Christians, speaking of the resurrection of Jesus as the source of new life and hope for those who believe in Him, as we look forward to sharing in God’s New Creation.
 
1 Peter 1:3-5, “By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
 
The resurrection of Jesus initiated… it kicked off God’s New Creation… giving us a glimpse of the future that God intends for His beloved but broken world: not its destruction, and abandonment, but its ultimate redemption! Its complete restoration… more filled with God’s blessed life than ever before, and set free from the fear of death forever! And even though for the time being, we know that life remains full of ups and downs… and times of deep suffering… because of Easter, we can hold onto this hope of an imperishable inheritance… this future existence that cannot be shaken, and which rests in the strong hands of our Risen Saviour… encouraging us not to give up, but to stay true to the way of Jesus no matter what comes.
 
And this leads us to our third point: that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is an invitation… an invitation to believe this Good News, and to respond to it.
 
Now as exciting as it was to follow the progress of NASA’s Artemis II mission this last week… and as amazing and inspiring as it is to consider that we humans have actually walked on the Moon… there really are very limited ways that these events actually influence or impact our day to day lives. Sure, some people have been inspired to become astronauts, or scientists as a result of these missions. And yes, as technology gets more advanced, there will likely be more ways to get involved with the grand human space projects. But the way most humans make choices, and live out our lives has precious little to do with visiting the Moon.
 
But the Good News of the resurrection of Jesus… the Good News of Easter morning invites us not just to observe from a distance, but to be drawn into the story and to have our whole lives reshaped by it. It invites us to make daily choices, and to live our lives in ways that line up with what we claim we believe… and to take on our small part in the great mission of God that Jesus the Risen Lord calls us to share in.
 
In our Gospel reading today, we heard the story told by St. John of Easter Sunday when the Risen Lord first met with His stunned disciples. And in that precious, world-changing moment, Jesus puts them to work:
 
John 20:21-23, “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’”

Jesus offers them peace, and empowers them with God’s Holy Spirit… and sends them out into the world… as His ambassadors, and agents of God’s forgiveness… sharing the Good News that He is Risen with the world all around them.
 
But to truly take part in this Easter story… to let the resurrection of Jesus shape the course of our lives, and the choices we make each day… we really do need to believe it. Not necessarily to understand it. Or to be able to explain it all inside and out. No one can. No, the resurrection of Jesus is not a mystery to be solved, but a mystery to be embraced… to say ‘yes’ to, again and again, even when we have our doubts… and deep questions… to say yes, not by checking our brains at the door, but by answering the invitation to explore all the new and exciting horizons and possibilities that it opens up for us and our world. To begin by believing even while we seek to understand. 
 
One week after Easter, John tells us one of the disciples, St. Thomas, still had his doubts. Thomas had missed out on the Easter meeting, and had not yet seen the Risen Lord. And to his credit, Thomas did not want to believe a fantasy or a lie. At one point He had believed that Jesus was the true Messiah, God’s chosen Son and Saviour King… but when he came face to face with the horror of seeing his beloved Rabbi crucified, all that had changed.  And so, he tells the other disciples that he will not believe in the resurrection unless he sees Jesus alive again for himself, just like they did.
 
And yet, even in the midst of all his doubts the Risen Jesus comes and visits Thomas too… inviting him, and all of us to believe… to give our hearts and our lives to our Risen Lord, and spend our days taking part in the good work of His good Kingdom.
 
John 20:27-31, “Then [Jesus] said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.’  Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’  Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’  [And as St. John goes on to say:]
 
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.” 
 
What kind of life are you and I invited to live today in response to the Good News of the resurrection of Jesus? What does it look like when we really believe that Jesus Christ is risen indeed?
 
There is so much that can be said at this point. Here at St. Luke’s, I’d like to point us to our Parish Vision Statement as a good place to start: Living Faith, Growing Love, Sharing Hope. 
 
Living Faith looks like learning to trust that the Risen Jesus really is with us, even when things in our world seem darkest… trusting that He will not abandon us, or the world He made and loves enough to die for. And that faith calls us not to give up, but to press on in the way that Jesus has taught us to go.
 
Growing Love looks like choosing to resist and let go of things like hatred, prejudice, and pride. And setting aside our self-centredness and sins, so we can start to live the way that God always intended us to… loving God, and one another, and everyone around us.  
 
And Sharing Hope looks like not keeping all this Good News to ourselves, but trying to help those around us experience the reality of the resurrection at work in our lives. To look for ways God is calling us to shine light in the darkness, and to help those suffering in body, mind, or spirit. 
 
The resurrection of Jesus changes everything. And this world-changing event calls us all to respond to it with our whole lives… to believe it, and to live it too. And so today, this first Sunday after Easter, and in the days to come… may we place our faith in the Risen Lord Jesus… and celebrate God’s New Creation already begun in Him… and answer His call to take part in His mission… and to share in His unending life. Amen.