Christ is Risen. Christ is Victorious. Christ has triumphed over sin, death, and the power of the devil! His victory is our victory! This is what we celebrate on Easter Sunday, on every Sunday, indeed everyday our joy is found in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Now that Easter is here, we know that the summer isn't very far away. With this in mind, we are trying to figure out what to do for a summer vacation. The good news is that this is NOT a camping year. No sleeping bags, no dinners falling into the fire. No bears. No mosquitoes. The bad news is that my family and I are suckers for tourist traps. We see something advertised on a billboard beside the road, and we have to stop. We don't want to miss out!

Let's see… there was the "Pet A Shark" tourist trap. For $10.95 / person, we would get to touch a man-eating shark. Had to do that. By the time we wound our way around, we found a 8 inch shark…my cat Albert is more dangerous.

Americans are bombarded with huge claims, sometimes bogus claims. There are some people who believe that the Resurrection of Jesus is just another claim, a trap, too good to be true. DON’T MISS OUT!

In our Gospel reading, some of the people closest to Jesus almost missed out on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ!

The Women came to the tomb early on Sunday morning with spices. They expected to find Jesus there. They were perplexed. Then the angels appeared and said, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here. He is risen!" Should they have been perplexed? The Old Testament prophesied that the Messiah would live. Jesus had told them that He would die, but on the 3^rd day be raised to life. Mary herself had been told by the angel that "With God, Nothing is Impossible!" They almost missed out!

When the disciples heard what the women shared they thought it was an "idle tale." Nonsense. How many times had Jesus told His disciples that on the 3^rd day He would be raised to life? They almost missed out.

Peter went to the tomb and marveled…doubt mixed with wonder. He didn't know what to think! He almost missed out.

Later, Thomas doubted that Jesus was alive. He almost missed out!

Christ is Risen! Don't Miss Out! The blessings of Christ's resurrection are too wonderful to miss!

Christ is Risen! Don't Miss Out on the Pardon that Jesus earned. On Good Friday, as Jesus looked down from the cross upon the people gathered, He said, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." In those words, He revealed His mission. Christ's death on the cross paid the debt that our sins deserved. Christ's death on the cross earned pardon to all of us who sin and fall short of the glory of God. Christ's death on the cross is for my sins, and for your sins. The resurrection proves that the sacrifice of Jesus is accepted. Don't miss out on pardon!

Christ is Risen! Don't Miss Out on the Peace of Jesus Christ that passes all human understanding. Jesus' first words to the disciples following His resurrection were "Peace Be with You." On the night before He was crucified, Jesus told His disciples: "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto You…Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."

This peace is beyond circumstances and situations in this life. The cross of Jesus Christ opened up prayer communication directly with God the Father.

Christianity is growing fastest in Africa. African Converts to Christianity take their faith very seriously and are faithful in their private prayer time and Bible reading. Each African had separate spot in fields around the village where he would go and pour out His heart to God. Over time, the pathways to these prayer places would become worn down. As a result, if someone began to neglect prayer time, it soon because apparent to the other believers. They would kindly remind the negligent one, "Brother, the grass grows on your path."

Because Christ is risen, we have the privilege of prayer, the privilege of going to the Lord of the Universe and transferring our burdens and concerns and worries onto Him. What PEACE is ours through the ministry of prayer! Don't miss out on peace!

Christ is Risen! Don't miss out on the Power of Christ! They say that there are 1260 promises in the Bible -- the key promises all have to do with Jesus and His resurrection. If Christ had not been raised, then these and all of the other Bible promises would not mean anything. But because of Easter, the power of God's Word is available to everyone. Because of Easter, we know God's Word is trustworthy.

A few days ago, USA Today came out with the 25 Top Most Memorable Quotes of the last 25 years.

But I would suggest that the most power-filled words ever shared were shared on the first Easter Sunday when the angel said, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here. He is risen!"

The very same power the raised Jesus from the dead is available to us today. The power of Christ's resurrection is the power to preach the Gospel and the Holy Spirit convicts people in their sin, but leads them to repentance and new life.

The power of Christ's resurrections is the power to pray and see lives changed. The power of God and His Word is all the power you will ever need to for every situation you will ever face. Christ is risen. Don't miss out on the power.

Christ is Risen! Don't miss out on Paradise! Because Christ lives, you too shall live. "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me shall live even though He dies. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die."

The same eternal life that was promised to the thief on the cross is bestowed upon on all who believes in Jesus. Because Jesus lives, we too shall live forever in heaven. That's what we celebrate on Easter!

There is a book written by Eda LeShan called Learning To Say Goodbye. It is the story of Elizabeth who is a great gymnast at age 20 years old. She could do all of the flips and cartwheels and acrobatics. 2 months earlier her father has passed away. She and her mother go to visit the grave. They reminisce. They pray. They meditate on God's Word. And then? Elizabeth does something strange. She does a flip on the grave, then a cartwheel. Knowing her father is in heaven, and knowing that her father loved to see her perform, she did backflips on the grave.

Those who believe in Jesus, those who know that Jesus opened up paradise for all who believe, those who look forward to a joyful reunion in heaven, well… they can even celebrate a loved one's eternal home-going. They can do backflips on a grave. Don't miss out on paradise.

Dear Friends, on Easter: Don't Miss Out! Because of Christ's death and Resurrection, Don't Miss Out on Christ's PARDON, PEACE, POWER, and PARADISE!