Eastertide and the Living Christ

The Easter season in the life of the Church is a holy stretch of joy, wonder, and proclamation. It is not confined to a single triumphant morning and then quietly set aside until next year. The Church lingers here, basking in the presence of the living Christ. She sings, prays, and listens more intently to the voice of the living God because Easter is the season when the risen Christ draws near to His people and teaches them to live in the power of His victory.

During these weeks of Easter, the Church remembers that Jesus once rose from the dead, but it doesn’t remain merely a historical event, though it is. She confesses that Jesus lives and reigns now and continues to shepherd, forgive, strengthen, and send His people on mission. This is why Eastertide stands at the heart of Christian hope. The crucified Lord has been raised, death has been broken, and the ministry of Jesus Christ continues within His Church. 

Holy Scripture presents the resurrection as the singular event that altered humanity's trajectory. After His suffering, Jesus did not leave His disciples with rumors, memories, or wishful thinking, hoping they would figure it all out on their own. He appeared to them alive, offering “many convincing proofs” over forty days, and spoke to them about the kingdom of God.¹

The resurrection is God’s decisive act in history. The same Jesus who had been betrayed, crucified, buried, and laid in the tomb now stood alive before His disciples. Jesus is the Lord who confirmed He is exactly who He declared Himself to be: the Christ, the Son of the living God, and the Savior of the world. The Church’s confidence rests on this living Lord. As Luther confesses in the Small Catechism, Christ “is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity.”⁶ 

One of the most cherished resurrection appearances is the meeting between Jesus and Mary Magdalene near the tomb. Mary stood weeping in the garden, overcome by sorrow and still unable to grasp the wonder unfolding before her. All her hopes were gone, leaving only sorrow. Then the risen Lord spoke her name: “Mary.”² In that instant, grief gave way to recognition. The One whom death could not hold had not abandoned her in her tears. He came to her personally, mercifully, and with divine compassion and loving care.

"The risen Christ draws near to His people and teaches them to live in the power of His victory."

Mary’s story remains one of Easter’s most beautiful proclamations. The risen Christ is not distant from His people’s wounds and sorrows. He draws near to those whose hearts are burdened and restores them through His living voice. Easter teaches us that our Lord still calls us by name, still meets us in the valley of sorrow, and still turns our mourning into witness to the glory of Jesus’ name.

The road to Emmaus reveals another dimension of the risen Lord’s ministry. Cleo and his companion, whose name is unknown, walked in sadness, openly expressing their disappointment and confusion. Like Mary at the empty tomb, they had had their hopes shaken and their understanding scattered. Yet Jesus Himself drew near and walked with them, though their eyes were kept from recognizing Him at first. He opened the Scriptures to them, showing that His suffering and glory stood at the very center of God’s saving purpose.

Later, at the breaking of the bread, their eyes were opened³, revealing a pattern we must never forget: the risen Christ makes Himself known through His Word and His gracious self-giving in the bread and cup. Jesus does not leave us groping in the dark or in confusion. He comes through the Scriptures, kindling faith and granting recognition. For Lutheran Christians especially, this scene carries deep significance because it reminds us that the living Christ continues to serve His Church through the means He has appointed: Jesus’ Word and Sacraments. 

Then came the appearance to the disciples behind locked doors. Fear had enclosed and locked them in. Shame lingered, crippling their faith. The future seemed hopeless and dangerous. Into that fearful place, Jesus came and spoke these living words, “Peace be with you.” After they thought He was a ghost, He showed them His hands and His side, demonstrating that the marks of His passion had not disappeared. Instead, they had become an everlasting testimony of redeeming love. 

A week later, Jesus came again, this time with Thomas present. Thomas, who had openly voiced his doubts, was neither cast aside nor condemned. Instead, Jesus met him with patience and truth, drawing from him the great confession, “My Lord and my God!”⁴ In this, Easter reveals the character of Christ’s pastoral heart. The risen Savior does not crush the weak. He restores them. He forgives them. And He sets them free to be the people of God. This is great news when we realize that Jesus does not despise the fearful but comes to them with peace. He does not cast off the doubter. Instead, He reveals Himself as the crucified and risen Lord so that His people may believe and have life in His name. 

The appearance by the Sea of Tiberias is equally rich in Jesus’ consolation. The disciples returned to their nets, and there, amid the ordinary setting of dawn, water, bread, and fish, Jesus revealed Himself once more. He fed them, restored Peter, and entrusted the care of His flock to one who had failed publicly and grievously yet had also been forgiven.⁵

All of these teach us that Easter is indeed a historic event, but it is more than that. It is a season of proof, restoration, and vocation. The risen Christ gathers the fallen disciples, renews them by His mercy, and sends them back into the work of His kingdom.

"The ministry of the risen Christ is not an episode confined to the first century. It is the Church’s living reality in every age, including the present."

That same pattern endures in the Church today. Christ still feeds His people, forgives their sins, restores the broken, and calls them to faithful service in Jesus’ name. Luther’s words fit beautifully here as well: the Holy Spirit “calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth.”⁷

This is why the Easter season remains so precious in the life of the Church. It teaches us that Christian hope is not an elusive reality, distant from the mind and heart. On the contrary, it is grounded in the risen Jesus, who appeared to Mary, walked with the disciples to Emmaus, stood among the fearful, strengthened Thomas, and restored Peter. The hope remains that Jesus still reigns over His people. 

The good news is that Jesus remains present in the preaching of the Gospel and in the administration of His Sacraments. He remains active in forgiving sins. He remains at work caring for souls, in the fellowship of the saints, and in the Church’s witness to the world. St. John Chrysostom captured the Church’s Easter joy when he said: “Christ is risen, and life reigns.”⁸

When Jesus gives life, He gives it in full. This is the Church’s hope today, as surely as it was then. Christ reigns. Christ lives. Therefore, Christ’s Gospel shall be preached, His people shall be sustained, and His Church shall continue in the ministry of the resurrected Lord until faith becomes sight and the whole creation rejoices in His everlasting kingdom.

Notes

1. Acts 1:3.

2. John 20:11–18.

3. Luke 24:13–35.

4. John 20:19–29.

5. John 21:1–19.

6. Martin Luther, Luther’s Small Catechism by Dr. Martin Luther, “The Second Article: Redemption,” Concordia Publishing House, accessed April 9, 2026, https://catechism.cph.org/en/creed.html.

7. Martin Luther, Luther’s Small Catechism by Dr. Martin Luther, “The Third Article: Sanctification,” Concordia Publishing House, accessed April 9, 2026. https://catechism.cph.org/en/creed.html.

8. John Chrysostom, “The Paschal Sermon,” Orthodox Church in America, accessed April 9, 2026. https://www.oca.org/fs/sermons/the-paschal-serm