God is for us!

New Creation!
Merry Christmas! I’m not confused. That’s not a mistake. At Christmas we celebrate God with us, in the baby born Immanuel in Bethlehem. But that baby grew up to give us Easter. Happy Easter! Where we celebrate God for us! God isn’t just with us, God is for us in Messiah—Jesus Christ, who went all the way to the cross, was buried, rose again in Jerusalem, and then ascended to the Father, opening the way to fellowship with God and eternal life. Happy Resurrection, everyone! If God is for us, who can be against us? (Rom. 8:31)

2 Cor. 5:17 (NIV): If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

The New Living Translation says: Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun.

And one day when Christ returns we will hear his voice from the throne say: Behold, I make all things new. (Rev. 21:5 KJV)

Jesus Christ is coming again to finish what He started.

The tradition of wearing new clothes for Easter dates back to the early centuries of Christianity, symbolizing new life in Christ. Maybe you’re wearing something new today—something on the outside as a symbol of what’s happening on the inside.

As we begin celebrating “What’s New,” let’s remember something old—something Old Testament Jesus gave us.
Matthew 12:38-40:
Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.” He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah…”

Jesus points to Jonah as the sign—three days and nights in the belly of a great fish, a foreshadowing of Jesus’ own death, burial, and resurrection. Jonah was sent to Nineveh, a wicked city, and despite his reluctance, they repented and were spared. Jesus reminds His audience that someone greater than Jonah is here—Himself.

The Ninevites were spared because they turned toward God. Jesus calls our world to do the same. The Nineveh of our world is also in need, hard of heart, spiritually blind. Yet even now, we are within reach of mercy. Jesus prayed from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

The sign of Jonah reminds us:

• God does justice, but also offers mercy.
• He sees and cares, even when invisible.
• He invites all people—then and now—to return to Him.

After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to many—Peter, the twelve, James, over 500 people. Acts 1:3 tells us He gave many convincing proofs over 40 days. They believed because they encountered new life.

And this is what Easter is about: New creation.
Jesus is the new Adam. In Him, all can be made alive (1 Cor. 15:22–23).
We will one day be clothed in glory, like Him—not perishable, but imperishable. As Paul writes, “Death has been swallowed up in victory… Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Cor. 15:54–55)

Like a father taking the sting of a bee to protect his daughter, Jesus took the sting of death for us. His nail-scarred hands show that the price has been paid. Now we can live in hope and resurrection power—transformed from the inside out.

Every human story involves tragedy. But none of them have to end in it.
Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Cor. 15:57)

Have you received that gift?
To as many as received him, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12)
Here I am. I stand at the door and knock… (Rev. 3:20)

Jesus showed Himself to His disciples for 40 days. What will you do with your next 40? Why not use this time to seek Him with intention, reflect on His Word, and invite Him to speak to your life?

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Questions for Reflection:

1. How can you use the next 40 days to intentionally listen for Jesus’ voice in your life?
2. What part of the Jonah story or Jesus’ resurrection speaks most personally to you today?
3. In what ways have you seen or felt God’s mercy in your life recently?
4. What “old” might God be inviting you to leave behind as He calls you into something new?