Sunday
The Beginning of New Creation

It’s Sunday of Holy Week. The first day of the week.

At dawn, Mary Magdalene approaches the tomb and discovers the stone rolled away. The grave is empty. He is risen! Jesus is alive!

The resurrection of Christ is not merely the happy ending to a tragic story. It’s the beginning of new creation. The Bible’s story began in a garden where humanity walked with God. That fellowship was shattered by sin and subsequent exile. But here, on Easter Sunday morning, in another garden, the risen Son of God walks out of the grave, into new life, inaugurating the new creation. His work of redemption has been vindicated.

Paul calls Jesus “the firstfruits” of the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20). In the ancient world, the firstfruits were the initial portion of a harvest that guaranteed the rest would follow. Christ’s resurrection is the first glimpse of the new world God is bringing into existence. Under Adam, humanity inherited sin and death. Under Christ, a new humanity is being formed, one marked by righteousness and life.

This means the resurrection is not only about what happened to Jesus. It is about what will happen to all who belong to him. All those God has chosen to save, in Christ. The resurrection assures us that death does not have the final word. Sin will not define the future of the world. The story of the Scriptures ends not in a grave, but in the renewal of creation.

As the risen Christ declares in Revelation:

“Behold, I am making all things new.”

1. How does the reality of Christ’s resurrection reshape the way I face fear, suffering, and death?
2. Do I live with the hope of new creation, or am I still defined by the despair of a fallen world?
3. What would it look like for me to live today as someone who truly believes the resurrection is real?

Risen Lord Jesus, I praise you for the victory of the empty tomb. Thank you that sin has been defeated and death has been overcome. Fill my heart with resurrection hope and teach me to live as a person of the new creation. Strengthen my faith, renew my joy, and help me proclaim with confidence that Christ is risen and he is making all things new. In Jesus’ name. Amen.