The resurrection of Jesus changes everything, and unlike the iPhone it really does change everything: everything, for everyone, for ever, once and for all.
The resurrection means we can know our past dealt with - forgiveness, peace, a new beginning. Our future need no longer be defined by our past, but by the fact that can be children of God.
The resurrection means that we see things in a whole new way. A way that recognises that God's ways are not our ways - who would have thought that death on a cross was anything other than defeat? A way that believes that in all things God is working out his plans - no matter how bad things actually seem to be. A way that recognises that at the darkest moment God not only knows what it's like, but God has promised to be there with us.
The resurrection shows us that Jesus was right when he preached love and forgiveness. On Good Friday the disciples would have been forgiven for thinking that this whole forgiveness/love/way of peace... approach was a waste of time - it had got them nowhere and it had got Jesus killed - they may as well have taken down a few Romans with them at the same time! But Easter reminds us that Jesus knows what he's talking about - when Jesus asks us to forgive our enemies there is no point arguing about how he doesn't know how tough it is, how painful it is. There is no point trying to argue that loving those who hate, turning the other cheek..are all a waste of time and will never work. Jesus knows. He will keep on bringing us back to the cross. Until we get it.
The resurrection - it changes everything
