My brothers and sisters in Christ, today is a wonderful day, a day filled with joy, a day that we rejoice because today, this exact day, Easter Sunday, 1996 years ago, Jesus Christ the Son of God, rose from the dead, and therefore freed us all from death, sin, darkness, fear, and even the devil himself. Today we celebrate the great milestone in salvation history that Christ rose to being alive again after being dead for three days, therefore completing God's victory over the powers of darkness that have enslaved humanity before Christ. By his resurrection, fear has been destroyed, death itself conquered, the power of sin powerless, and Satan defeated by the Holy Trinity, and humanity finally brought back to communion with God. 

My brothers and sisters in Christ, know this: as we celebrate the resurrection of the Lord on this Easter Sunday, the Lord Jesus also celebrates with us. Remember right now he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he is ruling his Kingdom (The Church) right at this very moment. And as we all celebrate and worship the Risen Lord on this Easter Sunday, so does Christ himself, for we all know that by Christ's resurrection, he has ushered in a new age, a new age where people who put their faith in Jesus Christ, who love Jesus Christ, who hope in Jesus Christ, who receive their strength from Jesus Christ, who have Eternal Life in Jesus Christ, who have communion with Jesus Christ through his Holy Church, all these people are truly freed from the bondage of sin, and intimately in communion with God.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ also teaches us a few things: one, since we have been baptized in the same manner as him, and so therefore live our lives according to his teachings and example, we should also hold on to our faith and hope in God, for if we lived in the same manner as Jesus Christ did, we can know for sure and have faith in God that he will also resurrect our own bodies at the end of the age when Christ returns for his flock. This hope in God is our strength in our trials and temptations in this world. Whenever you are tempted, remember that Christ rose from the dead, defeated sin by his resurrection, and if you hold on to the Grace of the Holy Spirit, you will also be resurrected in glory at the end of the age just like our Lord did on this very Sunday. Whenever Satan tries you, call to mind that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and defeated Satan himself, so therefore Satan has no power over you, unless if you allow him to have power over you. But Christ is so much more powerful than the devil, as proven by his resurrection.

It also shows us that God keeps his promises. Jesus Christ repeatedly throughout his earthly ministry said that he will be killed, but he will rise from the dead three days after his death. And God kept his promise quite powerfully and clearly on this Easter Sunday. So let us also keep this in mind and always live by it also, knowing that God always keeps is promises and God is always faithful and loving to us, never abandoning us like orphans.

By the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we now finally have life with the Father, filled with Grace of the Holy Spirit, and we have intimate Union with Christ our Lord. The resurrection of Jesus Christ teaches us that even the most impossible things can be achieved by the Love and Grace of God. Even insurmountable walls can be overcome with the power of God. Jesus Christ shows us on this day, that when the ultimate battle came between Good and Evil, Holiness and Sin, Light and Darkness, the Triune God against Satan and his demons, the Holy Trinity won over Satan, and has delivered his beloved human race whom he loves so much out of the hands of Satan and into communion with God. By his Holy and Wonderous Resurrection, Jesus Christ shows us and teaches us that the Love of God overcomes all evil. And as a result of his overcoming of all the powers of darkness, at this very moment, he reigns with the Father at his right hand on the clouds of heaven just above our heads, rejoicing also with us who love and worship him, for yes, truly he has risen from the dead, and he has conquered death, and he has given us communion with God. Because that is what God wants: for all humans to be in communion with him, and so have life everlasting, freed from Satan's grip, and sin's snares, and so now through the resurrection of Christ, filled with the Grace of the Holy Spirit, and so be in union with God forever and ever, in everlasting life, and with the eternal Love of the Father always within them. Amen.

GLORY TO YOU, O RISEN CHRIST, WHO CONQUERED DEATH, SIN, AND SATAN BY YOUR HOLY CROSS AND RESURRECTION!