“He is risen!”
“He is risen indeed!”
These joyful words are exchanged by many on Easter morning and capture the deep joy and wonder of the Resurrection and its centrality in the Christian faith.
Easter is a time of praise, wonder, and worship. Like the women who went to Jesus’ tomb on Easter morning and found it empty, we marvel afresh at God’s plan of redemption in Jesus. He has defeated death and taken away its sting. He has called us friends and brothers and sisters. He has restored our relationship with the Father and welcomes us before the throne of grace. He has sent the Holy Spirit to indwell us, intercede for us, and be with us till he returns. And he promises to one day take us to live with him forever and to wipe away our tears and make all things new and right.
For all these things and more we rejoice on Easter, and we can use the Psalms to give voice to our joy. It may seem surprising that we would turn to an Old Testament book for Easter, but the work and person of Christ are so deeply interwoven in the Psalms, even though they were written hundreds of years before he came to earth.
Let’s turn to the Psalms now to give expression to our Easter hope.
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1. The Promise of (Bodily) Resurrection - Psalm 16
Psalm 16:9-11 – "Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."
Though he lived over 1,000 years before the birth of Christ, King David, who wrote Psalm 16, was inspired by the Holy Spirit to pen eternal truths. He speaks of the gladness of his heart because of God’s guidance and the joy that comes from God, but he also speaks of the promise of God for his body. As humans, we are embodied creatures. We are eternal beings with souls that will live forever, but we can’t forget that God also made our bodies and called them good.
That is part of why the Resurrection is so glorious: God not only redeems our souls through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, he promises to regenerate our bodies too. We can have hope, and “rest secure” like David, that God will not “let your faithful one see decay.”
Paul underscores this when he says in 2 Corinthians 5:2-3, “We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies.”
Question 1 of the Heidelberg Catechism asks, “What is your only comfort in life and in death?”
The answer: “That I am not my own but belong body and soul in life and in death to my faithful savior Jesus Christ.” Alleluia!
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2. Rejoicing Comes in the Morning - Psalm 30
Psalm 30:4-5 – "Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning."
We’ve all had nights that were restless and sleepless and filled with worry, anxiety, and tears. Night is often the time when our fears loom large and our anxiety threatens to take control. The darkness is not only literal but metaphorical. In the sixteenth century, the priest and mystic St. John of the Cross coined the phrase “the dark night of the soul.” As humans, we can all relate to this at one time or another. This is a product of living in a world tainted by the Fall. But that is not the final word. The night ends, darkness fades, and the sun rises again.
Jesus is like the sun that brings hope and light after a long, dark night. Because of him, we can trust with the psalmist that “rejoicing comes in the morning.” And we can look to our ultimate hope that when Jesus returns and takes us home, “There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light.”
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3. Our Redemption is Secure - Psalm 49
Psalm 49:15 – "But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead; he will surely take me to himself."
Depending on what trials we are facing, it’s possible we already feel like we are in the “realm of the dead.” Many who are going through cancer treatment, dealing with acute grief, facing loss from a natural disaster, or a myriad of other dire situations know well that all is not right with this world.
But as this psalm proclaims, “God will redeem me from the realm of the dead.” He is the God of life, of light, and of love, and he is always working out his good plan in this fallen world, even when it can seem to us like he is far away or not working.
This is our Easter hope, that Jesus’ work on the cross made it possible for God to “take [us] to himself.” Our good Father always desires us to draw near to him and Jesus made it so that his door is always open.
“Ask, seek, knock" (Matt. 7:7).
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4. Christ the Cornerstone - Psalm 118
Psalm 118:22-24 – "The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad."
Jesus is the stone the builders rejected. God’s plan of redemption doesn’t make sense in the eyes of the world. The Pharisees and many others in Jesus’ day were expecting a conquering king, not a humble carpenter. But God glories in paradoxes and in upending the expectations of the world. His is an upside-down kingdom where love and mercy reign when strength and power may seem to make more sense from our vantage point.
As a popular worship song says:
“Christ alone, Cornerstone
Weak made strong in the Savior's love
Through the storm, He is Lord
Lord of all.”
Paul reiterates, “For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:10).
We can trust that this rock or stone (Jesus) is firm enough to hold all our pain, sorrow, and grief. We can build our lives on him.
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5. All the Earth Shouts for Joy - Psalm 66
Psalm 66:1-2 – "Shout for joy to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious."
All of Creation, though affected by the Fall, is constantly praising our powerful, loving Creator. The way God has infused creativity, variety, and order into the natural world is truly remarkable.
It’s so fitting that Easter takes place in springtime because God’s amazing creative work is perhaps most obviously on display in spring when trees are budding and bursting into blossom, birds display their hardwiring for crafting intricate nests, and seeds miraculously sprout and grow strong with the sun’s warming light and the earth’s embrace.
All these things are shouting for joy and praising God, albeit not through words. What a privilege to be able to join with them all year, and especially at Easter.
As another popular worship song proclaims:
“All the earth will shout Your praise
Our hearts will cry, these bones will say
Great are You, Lord!”
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6. Praise God for All He is and Has Done - Psalm 150
Psalm 150:1-2 – "Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness."
Our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8). From the beginning of Creation, he has demonstrated his awe-inspiring power, creativity, and lovingkindness. This psalm enthusiastically proclaims God’s power, might, and greatness, and encourages us to praise him both indoors and outdoors.
We can praise our God both in “his sanctuary”—a literal sanctuary of our church and in his “mighty heavens”—anywhere in his creation. At Easter especially, it is wonderful to do both. Praise him as you see daffodils on your walk into church, praise him for the rain that waters the earth and allows things to grow, praise him as you greet other believers with “He is risen!”, praise him as you sit down with family to enjoy Easter brunch, praise him for the renewal of seasons and the renewal of your heart.
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7. He Bears Our Burdens - Psalm 68
Psalm 68:19-20 – "Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death."
This psalm brings to mind the popular verse in the New Testament that speaks of Jesus’ burden being light (Matt. 11:28-30). Jesus invites us to come to him to find rest for our weary souls. We don’t have to do it alone. He is a sovereign, powerful God, but he is also a God who desires intimate connection with us.
Through him we “escape from death,” both in a literal sense as he offers us redemption and eternal life with him, but also in a daily sense as he promises to free us from the sinful desires and habits that enslave us and hold us back from the abundant life he offers. This promise of escape from death involves the often painful “dying to self” (Rom. 6:11; Luke 9:23), but on the other side, we can experience the Spirit-filled life of relationship with God. And he doesn’t abandon us in the middle of the process but promises to “daily bear our burdens.”
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8. He Crowns Us with Love and Compassion - Psalm 103
Psalm 103:2-4 – "Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion."
Pause for a moment to consider this evocative visual: a beautiful crown on your head crafted from love and compassion. The flowers and greenery intertwine and shine outward, letting others know that you are marked with God’s love and his love is so rich and deep that it bursts forth out of you to lavish on others.
God’s economy is not one of scarcity. We are often tempted to grab and grasp and wrangle and hold tightly to what power, control, and material possessions we can, but Jesus gently tells us to loosen our grip and instead trust that he will provide and will lavish us with his love and compassion.
If he went through all he did living on this earth and dying an ignominious death on the cross for our sin, will he not continue to pursue us and grace us with his love and compassion?
All the promises in him are Yes! and Amen! (2 Cor. 1:20).
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9. He is Our Light and Our Salvation - Psalm 27
Psalm 27:1 – "The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?"
King David didn’t know the salvation Jesus would bring when he penned Psalm 27, but our God has always been a God who saves and rescues. He had a plan for the redemption of his people from the very start.
Gen. 3:15 contains what is known as the “protoevangelium,” the first prophecy of Jesus. Way back in Genesis God had a plan to rescue his people. God desires to save us, and on Easter we rejoice in the completed work of salvation as we reflect on Jesus’ work on the cross to restore our relationship with God and bring light to a dark world and our dark hearts.
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10. I Will Not Die But Live - Psalm 118
Psalm 118:14-17 – "The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done."
This is the amazing truth that all who have faith in Jesus can proclaim: “I will not die but live.” Our God is not a God of the dead but of the living (Mark 12:27).
Jesus conquered death on the cross, so now we can proclaim that “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Rom. 8:37). He faced death and vanquished it so we don’t have to.
When we greet each other on Easter with “He is risen!”, we could also say, “We will be risen.” Risen with him. Risen indeed.
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Learn more about the meaning and significance behind the Easter holiday and Holy Week celebrations:
What is Lent? and When Does Lent Start?
What is Ash Wednesday? and When is Ash Wednesday?
What is Palm Sunday?
What is Maundy Thursday?
What is Good Friday? and When is Good Friday?
What is Holy Saturday?
What is Easter? and When is Easter Sunday?
Easter Bible Verses
The Resurrection of Jesus
Easter Prayers
Originally published Wednesday, 05 March 2025.