Because He Lives: The Triumph of Light, Life, and Resurrection
“God called the light ‘day,’ and the darkness He called ‘night.’ And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.”
— Genesis 1:5“I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore.”
— Revelation 1:18
Flowers—Easter lilies—speak to me this morning
the same dear and timeless lesson of immortality
that you have whispered to countless sorrowing souls.O wise and ancient Book,
let me once more read within your pages
the firm assurance that to die is gain.Poets, lift your voices—
recite again those verses
that echo the Gospel of eternal life in every line.Singers, arise—
break forth into songs of joy;
let the resurrection psalms be heard once more.Let creation itself proclaim it—
tree and blossom, bird and sea, sky and wind—
whisper it, sound it, echo it again and again.
Let it throb through every atom of existence
until the air itself is filled with this truth.Let it be told and retold—
until hope rises into conviction,
and conviction into unshakable certainty.So that we, like Paul,
even when facing death,
may walk forward with triumphant spirit,
with assured faith,
and with serene and radiant countenance.
O you who mourn with heavy hearts,
walking daily among graves of sorrow—
leave, for today, those silent places behind.Lift up your eyes
to the eternal blue of heaven.This is no hour for bitterness or despair.
Crown your hearts with Easter lilies, not sorrow’s pale flowers.
Let your soul be touched by gladness,
and respond to the gentle chime of resurrection joy.For if Christ had remained in the grave—
a prisoner of death—
then your tears would be justified.But He is not there.
He has risen.
He has conquered death forever.Therefore, let sorrow be stilled—
if only for this day.
Let Easter grant your grief a moment of rest.— May Riley Smith
A minister once sat preparing his Easter sermon,
when suddenly a powerful realization seized him:“Christ is alive!”
He rose to his feet and began to pace, declaring:
“He is not the great ‘I was,’
He is the great ‘I AM.’”Christ is not merely a historical truth—
He is a living reality.
We believe that from every grave, an Easter lily blooms,
and in every tomb, an angel sits.We believe in a risen Lord.
Let us not turn only to the past,
as though to worship at a grave—
but lift our eyes above and within,
to worship the living Christ.And because He lives,
we shall live also.— Abbott
