Easter is the greatest of all holidays because it commemorates the greatest event that ever happened, Christ’s triumph over death. The resurrection of Christ is a glorious fact to be known and remembered, and indeed every Sunday is to Christ’s people a reminder that on the first day of the week our Lord brought us life out of death.

But the Easter message which the apostle proclaims calls us to do more than celebrate a great event and remember a great fact. It invites us to be not merely spectators of the Easter drama but participators in the Easter triumph. It is an invitation to be Easter people, not people who once a year celebrate Easter but people who live the Easter life all year long. The apostle presents Easter as a personal experience, a source of power to be used in rising to a …