Someone once quipped, “We have evidence of the invisible church on the Sunday after Easter.” Have you ever noticed how, in many Lutheran churches, the Easter Sunday attendance is the highest for the year while the Sunday after Easter is the lowest? How can the Easter joy fade so quickly? How can the comfort of Easter so easily be forgotten? How can Christians so readily forget to thank Jesus for the blessings of Easter?

We know the reason. It is failure to take to heart the Word of God. How foolish it was for those early disciples to get up early on that first day of the week and rush to Jesus’ tomb. They had forgotten the Words of Jesus. Luke records what the angels said to the women: “ ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: “The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.” ’ Then they remembered his words” (Luke 24:5-8).

Some fail to remember while others fail to believe. Later that first Easter day two of the disciples with downcast faces were going to a village called Emmaus. How sad they were that their friend had been crucified. What did Jesus say to them? “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” (Luke 24:25,26). Consider the grief they would have been spared had they only believed the Old Testament prophecies and the words of Christ!

If only people today would believe God’s Word so that at Easter they could rejoice in the risen Jesus. Sadly many in our world don’t believe that Jesus is God or the Savior of the world, fail to trust Jesus, forget what Jesus did for them by His death and resurrection, and have no real hope concerning their eternal future. God’s Word tells them who Jesus is: "He was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead" (Rom.1:4). God’s Word declares that because of Christ’s death and resurrection God has forgiven all sins: "He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification." (Romans 4:25). God’s Word assures all believers that because Jesus lived, died, and rose again, they also will rise to eternal life. Jesus Himself says, " I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die" (John 11: 25-26). God’s Word is written so that everyone may believe this promise.

When we take to heart the full meaning of Easter, we can live with the confidence of knowing that a place is prepared for us in heaven. Every day is a Thanksgiving Day, praising God for the blessings of heaven. Every day is a day to anticipate, accept and apply the peace of Christ that is beyond all human understanding. This peace assures us there is never need to worry. This peace assures us that even the problems we face in life will result in blessing, according to God’s promise. This peace assures us that we have a purpose in life, to serve our God instead of ourselves. This peace gives us a reason to get out of bed on Monday morning as well as Sunday Morning. Thank Jesus for our Easter Hope! Hallelujah! He is risen! He is risen indeed!

Paul Schneider is pastor of Holy Scripture Lutheran Church in Midland, Michigan.