In “Why Easter matters” Jefferson Vann explains why Christians celebrate Easter.

But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep (1 Corinthians 15:20 ESV).

I wish each of you a happy Easter, and I pray that you can celebrate with your friends and family.

The good news we celebrate on Easter is ours to celebrate, regardless of all the bad news that is happening in our world. The reason is that Easter really did change everything.

Easter didn’t change the fact that we still die. Easter didn’t make any of us immortal. What happened on that Sunday morning was not the universal resurrection, but the firstfruits of it. Jesus was raised from the dead, never to die again — the first human being to receive the permanent, immortal life God has promised. And because He was the first, there will be many more. His empty tomb is not an isolated miracle; it is the opening act of a harvest still to come.

Our resurrection has not happened yet. We still age, weaken, and return to the dust. But it is going to happen. The empty tomb in Jerusalem stands as God’s guarantee. He has already begun the work He promised, and He will not forget us. The same voice that called Lazarus from the grave, the same power that raised Jesus on the third day, will one day call us out of our graves as well.

The Christian hope is not that death is harmless or that we possess some inner spark that cannot die. The Christian hope is that God will raise the dead. Easter is the down payment, the preview, the promise in flesh and bone. He will finish what He started.