I guess in Bermuda most people know that Easter is about the death and resurrection of Jesus. However, what does that mean for you and me and why are Christians so excited about it?

I think those are legitimate questions. Just today I received a very interesting newsletter from Rick Warren about just this topic and I would like to pass some of it on to you in my words and with some Bible verses. There are seven points to look at.

1, Redemption

We all carry some burdens from the past. Even the best of us have made mistakes we know about, and believe me, you have made even more mistakes you might not even have realised. We hurt people or at least accept the possibility that our words and actions, or lack thereof, may hurt others.

Usually our conscience tells us so but sometimes we don’t even realise that we hurt someone.

When we hurt others or nature, we also hurt God. He has created us and our neighbour and all of nature, and he wants us to be keepers of his creation. We fail on that, whether we intended it or not. It just happens. When we do things, some of the consequences may be harmful to us, to others, to nature or future generations. Christians call that sin. It separates us from God and neighbour.

The Bible tells us that Jesus was willing to carry this burden for us: “All are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:24; NIV).

The debt is paid on the Cross: “God has freed us from the power of darkness, and he brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son. The Son paid for our sins, and in him we have forgiveness.” (Colossians 1:13-14; NCV)

2, Resurrection

Our bodies are made to live and to die. I remember learning in school that dying is not just part of life, but one of its attributes. Everything that lives will die eventually. Our bodies are made for the life in this world. But we are not just body, we are body, mind (thoughts) and soul (feelings, senses and emotions).

We are who we are because of all three, each one of them is us, and at the same time they work together (this is similar to God’s Trinity, as we are created in God’s image).

The Bible tells us that we will receive a new body so that we (body, mind and soul) can live in eternity in God’s presence. “So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.” (1 Corinthians 15:42-44; NIV).

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.’” (John 11:25-26; NIV)

And the Apostle Paul writes in Romans 6:8-11 (NLT): “Since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.”

3, Victory

This has not only to do with the afterlife, but it can change today. Psychologists, philosophers and other wise people have long figured that most of our fears stem from the fear of death.

The Bible puts it this way: “Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.” (Romans 6:14; NLT)

“I have told you this, so that you might have peace in your hearts because of me. While you are in the world, you will have to suffer. But cheer up! I have defeated the world.” (John 16:33; CEV)

4, Salvation

God created you to love you, and he wants you to be part of his eternal family. So God wants to save you from getting lost, from losing your way and your life. All we have to do is believe in Jesus as our Lord and confess it.

Paul writes to the Romans about this: “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.” (Romans 10:9-10; NLT)

To his friend Timothy he wrote: “For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time — to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 1:9; NLT).

5, Hope

Hope is so important. Hope is the ability to overcome many obstacles in life. It gives us power to move on and not let outer circumstances, bad news, or any powers out there destroy our joy. In Hebrews we can read: “Let us hold on firmly to the hope we profess, because we can trust God to keep his promise.” (Hebrews 10:23; GNT)

And Paul writes: “May God, the source of hope, fill you with joy and peace through your faith in him. Then you will overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13; GW)

And: “May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father encourage you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say. God loved us, and through his grace he gave us a good hope and encouragement that continues for ever. “(2 Thessalonians 2:16-17; NCV)

6, New creation

Through our faith God gives us new life, we are like a new creation, not just for the afterlife, but already today. Faith can change us. Here is the chance to change and start new.

The Apostle Paul repeated this many times like in Colossians 3:10 (NCV): “You have begun to live the new life, in which you are being made new and are becoming like the One who made you. This new life brings you the true knowledge of God.”

Or in 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT): “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

And in Philippians 1:6 (CEV): “God is the one who began this good work in you, and I am certain that he won’t stop before it is complete on the day that Christ Jesus returns.”

7, Love

All that God is doing in our lives has one motive and one purpose: love. God won’t let go. Love is true care. Love means to provide what is needed (not necessarily is wanted) and to overlook what hinders love. Love is a continuous gift, a gift we can pass on by loving others.

Rick Warren says: “The Cross and resurrection are the ultimate expression of God’s love for you. The assurance of his love gives us peace and confidence to live out his mission in the world.”

And then he refers to the Apostle Paul: “May you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” (Ephesians 3:18-19; NLT)

“God has shown us how much he loves us — it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us!” (Romans 5:8; GNT)

“Walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 5:2; NIV).

Happy Easter to you.

• Karsten Decker was the pastor of Peace Lutheran Church in Bermuda from 2010 to 2017, and after returning from Germany is now the temporary pulpit supply at Centenary United Methodist Church in Smith’s