“Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen.”
Angelic messengers had said these words to the women who visited Jesus’ empty tomb.
The words remain among the most profound ever uttered. Found in the Gospel of Luke, they have echoed across two millennia, anchoring the Christian faith in a truth that transcends history: the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Unlike the rise and fall of empires, the decay of ideologies, or the fading relevance of economic systems, the message of Easter endures. Church attendance may decline in parts of the world. Societal values may shift. But the Resurrection is not bound by the arc of history. It is a timeless proclamation that faith, hope, and life are always being renewed.
Easter Sunday, also known as Resurrection Sunday or Pascha, stands as one of the most sacred and meaningful celebrations in Christianity. It is a powerful emblem of victory, of life triumphing over death, of love defeating hatred, of renewal overcoming despair. Each year, it calls the world back to the message that changed the course of history: Jesus lives.
In the Christian tradition, Good Friday’s solemn crucifixion is the moment when darkness appeared to triumph. But Easter Sunday breaks that narrative, it is the resurrection that changes everything. Through the risen Christ, the world receives a message not just of spiritual salvation, but of hope: a hope that is needed now more than ever.
The message of Easter is not just for the faithful. It is for humanity. It is a call to reorder life around compassion, mercy, and a selfless love that does not expect anything in return. In countries like Nigeria, where hardship, mistrust, and societal divides threaten peace and unity, Easter offers a radical alternative: faith that does not give up, and love that is not transactional.
More than 2,000 years since the first Easter, this sacred season remains a cornerstone in the calendar of nations and a touchstone for millions. In a country like Nigeria, vibrant, complex, and full of contradictions, Easter is a chance to reflect on the example Christ set: one of humility, service, and standing with the poor, the weak, and the forgotten.
This same message reverberates in places where Christians face immense challenges. In Nigeria and Pakistan, and across the persecuted Church, the power of the Resurrection is lived out daily in quiet resistance and unwavering faith. Their testimony is a reminder that Christianity is not a fading tradition, but a living, breathing faith, rooted in the Resurrection.
For churches in the West, especially in increasingly secular cultures, Easter presents both a challenge and an invitation. To reduce Christianity to political slogans, whether progressive or reactionary, is to miss its transformative core. Easter reminds us that the Church’s mission is not to follow cultural trends, but to proclaim a living Christ who gives meaning beyond the moment.
That is the message humanity must never forget. This Easter, perhaps more than ever, it’s time to remember that life wins, and love endures.
