SPEAKER_00: In the gospel today, Jesus appears to the disciples, and their first reaction is not peace, it is fear.
SPEAKER_00: They think he's a ghost.
SPEAKER_00: Which, if we're honest, makes sense because they know what they saw.
SPEAKER_00: They saw him die.
SPEAKER_00: They saw the cross.
SPEAKER_00: They saw the finality of it all.
SPEAKER_00: Now he's standing in front of them.
SPEAKER_00: So what does Jesus do?
SPEAKER_00: He doesn't give a speech, he doesn't say, just have faith.
SPEAKER_00: Where were you guys?
SPEAKER_00: What happened to you?
SPEAKER_00: Why did you abandon me?
SPEAKER_00: No, he says, look at my hands and feet.
SPEAKER_00: And then this, which is very disarming, he says, Do you have anything to eat?
SPEAKER_00: And he eats in front of them.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: Well, because he wants them to understand something very clearly.
SPEAKER_00: This is not an idea.
SPEAKER_00: This is not a feeling.
SPEAKER_00: This is not a spiritual metaphor.
SPEAKER_00: This is real, flesh and bones standing right in front of you.
SPEAKER_00: Wrap that around your minds.
SPEAKER_00: And then he says and does something even more important.
SPEAKER_00: He opened their minds to understand the scriptures, not just their hearts, their minds.
SPEAKER_00: Because God is not asking you to believe something irrational, he's asking you to see clearly.
SPEAKER_00: Now, if we go to the first reading, the crowd sees the miracle, the man walking, and they're amazed.
SPEAKER_00: And Peter immediately corrects them.
SPEAKER_00: Why are you all looking at us?
SPEAKER_00: In other words, don't stop at the surface.
SPEAKER_00: Don't get stuck in the excitement.
SPEAKER_00: Don't just say, wow, that was impressive.
SPEAKER_00: Is that a magic trick?
SPEAKER_00: No, look deeper.
SPEAKER_00: This is about Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: And Peter points them to Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: Because he says something bold.
SPEAKER_00: He says, You killed him, but God raised him up.
SPEAKER_00: That's not meant to shame, it's meant to reveal because he's immediately, it's immediately followed with, I know you acted out of ignorance.
SPEAKER_00: And then this line is everything.
SPEAKER_00: God sent him to bless you by turning you from your sins.
SPEAKER_00: That's the key.
SPEAKER_00: That's everything.
SPEAKER_00: The resurrection is not just proof that Jesus is powerful, it is proof that God is for you.
SPEAKER_00: All of this was for you.
SPEAKER_00: That he is actively trying to turn your life toward freedom.
SPEAKER_00: And that's where everything comes together.
SPEAKER_00: The gospel shows us a Jesus who is real.
SPEAKER_00: The first reading shows us a God who is merciful.
SPEAKER_00: And together they give us this truth.
SPEAKER_00: You're not being asked to pretend, you're being invited to change, to transform.
SPEAKER_00: But let's be honest, that's where people hesitate.
SPEAKER_00: We like inspiration.
SPEAKER_00: We like nice stories.
SPEAKER_00: We like the idea of Easter.
SPEAKER_00: But conversion, change, well, that takes work.
SPEAKER_00: That's harder.
SPEAKER_00: And yet Peter uses a beautiful phrase.
SPEAKER_00: He says, times of refreshment.
SPEAKER_00: That's what repentance brings, not restriction, not loss, refreshment, relief, breathing again, freedom.
SPEAKER_00: Because sin will exhaust you, carrying the same habits, the same sins, the same patterns, the same weight, it will drain you.
SPEAKER_00: You will feel like you have chains on your feet.
SPEAKER_00: And God is saying you don't have to live like that.
SPEAKER_00: So here's the question for all of us today.
SPEAKER_00: Where in your life do you need clarity?
SPEAKER_00: Where have you been treating faith like a feeling instead of something real?
SPEAKER_00: Where have you been settling for surface level type of Christianity?
SPEAKER_00: Where is God asking you?
SPEAKER_00: Don't just believe, but change your direction.
SPEAKER_00: Because Jesus stands in the middle of your life today and says the same thing.
SPEAKER_00: I desire for you to have peace.
SPEAKER_00: And he doesn't say it as a greeting, he says it as a gift.
SPEAKER_00: But then he says, Look, look at your life honestly, look at what is real, look what I've done for you, and don't be afraid of what needs to change.
SPEAKER_00: Because the resurrection is not here to impress you, it's here to transform you.
SPEAKER_00: That's the message that we've been talking about all this week.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: Because Easter is about good news.
SPEAKER_00: You don't have to do this alone.
SPEAKER_00: The same Jesus who stood in that room stands with you today, not as a ghost, not as a distant memory, but alive, present, real.
SPEAKER_00: And if you let him open your mind, if you let him open up your heart, you'll begin to see what the disciples finally saw.
SPEAKER_00: This is true.
SPEAKER_00: It's absolutely 100% true.
SPEAKER_00: And it can change everything.
SPEAKER_00: That's what Easter's about.
SPEAKER_00: Not just something to celebrate, but something to live starting today.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.