Jesus assembles us as his people in the Church as branches connected to him, the living vine

Jesus is the Good Shepherd who calls us to lay down our weariness from self-preservation and self-promotion and rest in him in faith and trust..

Life is full of things that we forget about - little things and big things. Even in matters of faith, we can forget about who our heavenly Father is, how much we are loved by him, and all that he has done for us in his Son, Jesus. Easter is about remembering - God's gift of forgiveness, life, and salvation in Jesus, reclaiming this for our lives today, and retelling this through our words and actions. We are witnesses of these things!

The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is what Easter really means. More than chocolate bunnies and egg hunts, Easter celebrates the truth of Jesus' victory over sin, death, and hell. Jesus' crucifixion must lead to resurrection; Good Friday must lead to Easter Sunday. If not, as Paul the apostle writes,

Jesus had paid the price to wipe the debt of our iniquity before God

Injustice is part of the Passion story of Jesus' suffering and death. It is also something that we struggle with in this life. The purpose of Jesus' incarnation, suffering, and death is that he would take upon himself our sins, exchanging his sinless perfection and righteousness for our sin-stained hopelessness. Here is a Savior who serves - even in the midst of injustice!

Jesus corrects our understanding of greatness and entitlement

Probably the most familiar passage in the Bible is what's found in today's Gospel lesson:

Jesus does not give you up or give up on you

Jesus cleanses the temple of distracting clutter, but he has come to do the same with us, too