Happy Resurrection Sunday! This day is the most looked forward to sa buong linggong ito, because the message of resurrection is a message of hope. Welcome to the last day of our Holy Week Reflection.

Kung ang pag-asa natin kay Cristo ay para lamang sa buhay na ito, tayo na ang pinakakawawa sa lahat ng tao.

1 Mga Taga-Corinto 15:19

Every year, we celebrate and remember the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But why do we do so? What’s so amazing about Jesus being raised from the dead? Hindi ba’t meron na ring mga nabuhay na sa mga patay tulad ni Lazarus? The answer to this question is because His resurrection provides us with real hope.

Hope is a very powerful thing. It has been said that we can live for weeks without food, days without water, minutes without air, but only a few seconds without hope. Hope in the biblical sense is the anticipation that what God has promised will come to pass.

What were those promises that were fulfilled by the resurrection of Jesus Christ?

Because Jesus rose from the dead, we hope that in His return, our bodies will be redeemed (Romans 8:23–25). In this body, we will never get sick and die. This hope gives us endurance in our suffering. Ano man ang ating pinagdadaanan ngayon, hindi ito makakatumbas sa darating na pagpapala sa pagbabalik ni Jesus.

Not only do we have hope that we will have redeemed bodies, but we also get to have an eternal dwelling place in heaven. Jesus rose from the dead to pay for our sins and to also prepare a place for all of us (John 14:3, Colossians 1:5). Isn’t it wonderful that our eternity will not be just a long boring wandering in the clouds? May tahanan tayo na si Cristo mismo ang umasikaso.

But our greatest hope is that we will spend our eternity with Christ, who is our life. In His presence, everything will be made new. There will be no more tears, mourning, and death. This is why we remember Jesus being raised from the dead. It reminds us of the hope beyond the grave.

John Stott said, “We live and die; Christ died and lived!” Because of Jesus’ finished work on the cross, we who believe in Him can now live for eternity. Thank you for joining us in our Holy Week reflection. See you tomorrow for another life-changing message from the Word of God!