Easter Sunday - Matthew 28:5-6 Now Available by Aaron Strumpel
Matthew 28:5-6 is now available on all streaming platforms!
THE VERSE
[5] But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. [6] He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.
The first Easter morning.
After a full day of grieving, confusion, and the deafening chill of silence from heaven, a couple of the most dedicated followers of Jesus, Mary and Mary Magdalene, made their way to the tomb of their Lord in the early hours of the morning. Instead of being met by a sealed tomb and soldiers standing guard at the gravesite, they were met by an open tomb and an angel whose appearance was like lightning. This obviously was a lot to process all at once… Put yourself in their shoes! Imagine all the questions and emotions and thoughts rushing through them in a single instance. Why is the tomb open? Where are the guards? Who is this messenger? Where is Jesus’ body? What in the world is happening?!
The passage above in Matthew 28:5-6 captures some of the angel’s words to the women and in a sense comes to us as the first Easter sermon preached. The angel sought to comfort the women in their understandable fear and confusion… He then broke the greatest news of all to them: the Jesus who had been laid dead in the tomb on Friday was now raised to life on Sunday. Note that he wasn’t merely risen, but also “as He said.” It’s so important to understand Jesus’ resurrection was a fulfillment of Jesus’ words and promises before He died. Tim Keller said, “If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that he said; if he didn’t rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what he said? The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teaching but whether or not he rose from the dead.”
The resurrection was God the Father’s universal stamp of approval on His Son’s life and claims and what He came to accomplish: our redemption.
Had Jesus remained in the tomb, the sad reality would be that He wasn’t who He claimed to be! He would prove Himself to be a sham and a liar, deceived about His own identity. His resurrection did precisely the opposite! It was a public declaration that all Jesus taught and demonstrated, He did as one and only Son of God; He was Israel’s true Messiah and rightful King of the world. The resurrection was God the Father’s universal stamp of approval on His Son’s life and claims and what He came to accomplish: our redemption. Easter confirms that Jesus was exactly who He said He was! He is alive, His words are trustworthy, and His life and example is meant to be followed.
Today on this Easter Sunday, may each of us hear the words spoken by the angel and take heart no matter where we find ourselves! May God “easter” us whether we are full of faith or barely holding on. May Jesus meet us in our gravesites of death and surprise us with announcements of life. With eyes of faith, may we see the place where Jesus lay and see it just as empty as it was two thousand years ago! Death could not hold Jesus down, and through faith in Him, it cannot hold us down either!
Easter changes everything.
THE SONG & THE ARTIST
The song was written by John Petterson and Joel Limpic, and then produced, recorded, and mixed by Aaron Strumpel at Shovel Studios in Lafayette, CO. He pulled in Orlando Palmer for some tasty piano and key arrangements, Hannah Glavor (Portland) for vocals, and Joel on bass. The song was mastered by Connor Hedge. Aaron commented a bit about the song below:
I’m not sure why melody brings so much to lyric, but it does. In this song, the melody of the chorus feels so comforting and reassuring…just the simple arc of it over the chords. I can feel the peace of the risen Christ in the midst of a moment of confronting fear and dejection. And the obvious Easter proclamation, was one that I’ve said a million times growing up, “He has risen!” - and in my Lutheran church, we’d answer “He has risen, indeed!” This arrangement gave us the opportunity to stretch out an extended romp of an ending, singing that line over and over again while a wild marching band of horns and keys and drumline rages on!
Easter has been my jam since the day I was born. Literally. I was born on a snowy Easter Sunday in Iowa! Growing up, it just meant so much… We’d get up for sunrise services, help make pancakes and eggs in the church kitchen, and on many Easters I would be playing trumpet alongside our pipe organ and choir. I loved it… The culmination of the miracle of Christ’s divinity revealed! I experienced one more Easter on my birthday as a youngster and recently Googled my next Easter birthday and…well...I gotta live to 82 to see it! I’ll be a jolly old man by then, but I hope to feel the Easter joy of my youth every year until then. This year and this song has surely ignited that youthful sense of adventure and celebration!
You can find Aaron Strumpel on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/aaronstrumpel/) or http://aaronstrumpel.com .
You can find Hannah Glavor on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hannahtheglavor/).
You can find Orlando Palmer on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/iamsonmusic).
Song credits:
Written by John Petterson and Joel Limpic
Vocals by Aaron Strumpel and Hannah Glavor
Acoustic guitars by Aaron Strumpel
Piano and keys by Orlando Palmer
Bass by Joel Limpic
Marching band and horns arranged by Aaron Strumpel
Mixed by Aaron Strumpel
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