Easter People Living in a Good Friday World
By Ryan Dawson
It doesn’t take much to realize that something is not right in our world.
Scroll the headlines for just a few minutes and you’ll see it— wars that continue to devastate nations, growing division and unrest, economic uncertainty pressing in on families, and a rising sense of anxiety, loneliness, and despair.
Closer to home, we feel it too.
Broken relationships. Unexpected diagnoses. Financial pressures. The quiet grief of loss.
We don’t need to be convinced—the world is not as it should be.
And deep down, we know it.
I imagine the disciples felt that same weight on the Friday Jesus was crucified.
Everything they had hoped for seemed to collapse in a moment.
Wasn’t Jesus the One who would establish God’s Kingdom of righteousness and justice?
Wasn’t He the One who would redeem His people?
Wasn’t He the One who would set all things right?
But on that Friday hope seemed lost. The dream was dead. Sin, confusion, and death appeared to have the final word. It was a Good Friday world.
But Sunday was coming.
And with the dawn of that new day, everything changed.
Christ is risen… He is risen indeed!
We still live in a Good Friday world—a world where sin, suffering, and death are real.
But because of Easter, we do not live without hope.
Resurrection Sunday declares that sin does not win.
Death does not win.
Darkness does not win.
Jesus wins.
And because He lives, we can live with hope—even in the middle of a broken world.
Consider the words of the Apostle Paul on the significance of the resurrection:
1 Corinthians 15:13–20 (MSG)
“Now, let me ask you something profound yet troubling. If you became believers because you trusted the proclamation that Christ is alive, risen from the dead, how can you let people say that there is no such thing as a resurrection? If there's no resurrection, there's no living Christ. And face it—if there's no resurrection for Christ, everything we've told you is smoke and mirrors, and everything you've staked your life on is smoke and mirrors. Not only that, but we would be guilty of telling a string of barefaced lies about God, all these affidavits we passed on to you verifying that God raised up Christ—sheer fabrications, if there's no resurrection. If corpses can't be raised, then Christ wasn't, because he was indeed dead. And if Christ weren't raised, then all you're doing is wandering about in the dark, as lost as ever. It's even worse for those who died hoping in Christ and resurrection, because they're already in their graves. If all we get out of Christ is a little inspiration for a few short years, we're a pretty sorry lot. But the truth is that Christ has been raised up, the first in a long legacy of those who are going to leave the cemeteries.”
Good Friday is “good” because Jesus died for our sin. But Easter Sunday is everything—because Jesus rose from the grave, defeating sin, shame, and death once and for all.
And because of that, we are invited to live differently. We are called to be Easter people in a Good Friday world.
People who carry hope into hopeless places.
People who embody love in a divided world.
People who live with courage, joy, and purpose—even when life is hard.
Not because everything is fixed yet—but because we know Who is making all things new.
This Easter weekend, we would love for you to join us as we celebrate the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus—our Saviour and King.
Good Friday Service
10:00 AM at Ottawa Christian School & 10:10AM online and streaming on demand.
Easter Sunday Service
10:00 AM at Ottawa Christian School & 10:10AM online and streaming on demand.
Jesus came to reveal the depth of God’s love for us: “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13, NLT) It is this love that transforms us into Easter people—people marked by hope, grounded in truth, and alive in Christ.
So, invite a friend. Bring your family. Come and experience the hope of the Risen Christ.
Happy Easter! Blessings, Ryan
It doesn’t take much to realize that something is not right in our world.
Scroll the headlines for just a few minutes and you’ll see it— wars that continue to devastate nations, growing division and unrest, economic uncertainty pressing in on families, and a rising sense of anxiety, loneliness, and despair.
Closer to home, we feel it too.
Broken relationships. Unexpected diagnoses. Financial pressures. The quiet grief of loss.
We don’t need to be convinced—the world is not as it should be.
And deep down, we know it.
I imagine the disciples felt that same weight on the Friday Jesus was crucified.
Everything they had hoped for seemed to collapse in a moment.
Wasn’t Jesus the One who would establish God’s Kingdom of righteousness and justice?
Wasn’t He the One who would redeem His people?
Wasn’t He the One who would set all things right?
But on that Friday hope seemed lost. The dream was dead. Sin, confusion, and death appeared to have the final word. It was a Good Friday world.
But Sunday was coming.
And with the dawn of that new day, everything changed.
Christ is risen… He is risen indeed!
We still live in a Good Friday world—a world where sin, suffering, and death are real.
But because of Easter, we do not live without hope.
Resurrection Sunday declares that sin does not win.
Death does not win.
Darkness does not win.
Jesus wins.
And because He lives, we can live with hope—even in the middle of a broken world.
Consider the words of the Apostle Paul on the significance of the resurrection:
1 Corinthians 15:13–20 (MSG)
“Now, let me ask you something profound yet troubling. If you became believers because you trusted the proclamation that Christ is alive, risen from the dead, how can you let people say that there is no such thing as a resurrection? If there's no resurrection, there's no living Christ. And face it—if there's no resurrection for Christ, everything we've told you is smoke and mirrors, and everything you've staked your life on is smoke and mirrors. Not only that, but we would be guilty of telling a string of barefaced lies about God, all these affidavits we passed on to you verifying that God raised up Christ—sheer fabrications, if there's no resurrection. If corpses can't be raised, then Christ wasn't, because he was indeed dead. And if Christ weren't raised, then all you're doing is wandering about in the dark, as lost as ever. It's even worse for those who died hoping in Christ and resurrection, because they're already in their graves. If all we get out of Christ is a little inspiration for a few short years, we're a pretty sorry lot. But the truth is that Christ has been raised up, the first in a long legacy of those who are going to leave the cemeteries.”
Good Friday is “good” because Jesus died for our sin. But Easter Sunday is everything—because Jesus rose from the grave, defeating sin, shame, and death once and for all.
And because of that, we are invited to live differently. We are called to be Easter people in a Good Friday world.
People who carry hope into hopeless places.
People who embody love in a divided world.
People who live with courage, joy, and purpose—even when life is hard.
Not because everything is fixed yet—but because we know Who is making all things new.
This Easter weekend, we would love for you to join us as we celebrate the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus—our Saviour and King.
Good Friday Service
10:00 AM at Ottawa Christian School & 10:10AM online and streaming on demand.
Easter Sunday Service
10:00 AM at Ottawa Christian School & 10:10AM online and streaming on demand.
Jesus came to reveal the depth of God’s love for us: “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13, NLT) It is this love that transforms us into Easter people—people marked by hope, grounded in truth, and alive in Christ.
So, invite a friend. Bring your family. Come and experience the hope of the Risen Christ.
Happy Easter! Blessings, Ryan