Did you feel it?

Not long ago, here in Minden, the ground moved. For a moment, what felt stable… wasn’t. And there’s something deeply unsettling about that—when what you thought you could stand on suddenly shifts beneath your feet.

Matthew tells us that something like that happened at the cross—and again at the resurrection.

When Jesus died, the earth shook. And three days later, it shook again.

Because when God was at work through the death and resurrection of Jesus, He wasn’t just changing a few lives—He was shifting the ground beneath the entire world.

When What We Expect Collapses

Holy Week begins with confidence.

A crowd gathers to welcome Jesus. They celebrate Him. They even try to define Him. They want a king—but a king on their terms. A crown without a cross. Power without sacrifice.

They didn’t reject Jesus. They tried to reshape Him.

And for a moment, everything felt stable—like they understood exactly what God was doing.

But they were standing on shaky ground.

When Everything Falls Apart

By Friday, everything collapses.

The same voices that shouted “Hosanna” now demand a cross. And shortly after 3:00 p.m., as Jesus breathes His last breath, the earth shakes.

In that moment:

• – The disciples watched their hope collapse
• – The religious leaders watched their certainty collapse
• – The Romans soldiers watched their control collapse

Everything they thought was solid… gave way.

But here’s what they didn’t understand:

Good Friday wasn’t the world coming apart.

It was the beginning of God’s great realignment.

When God Finishes What He Started

Early Sunday morning, the earth shakes again. Not as something new—but as the completion of what God had already begun.

What Friday broke… Sunday restored.

• – On Friday, hope faded — on Sunday, hope rose
• – On Friday, despair settled — on Sunday, joy broke through
• – On Friday, death spoke — on Sunday, life spoke louder

The resurrection wasn’t just an event.

It was a shift.

What the Resurrection Changes

When the earth shifted, everything shifted with it:

• – Death shifted to Life
• – Despair shifted to Joy
• – Sin shifted to Forgiveness
• – Condemnation shifted to Grace
• – Defeat shifted to Victory

And if that’s true, then we don’t get to live the same way anymore. We don’t live in fear—we live in hope. We don’t chase worldly success—we pursue faithfulness. We don’t grasp for crowns—we take up crosses.

If the resurrection is true, then nothing in our lives can stay where it is.

The Shift We Don’t Want to Make

Here’s where it gets uncomfortable.

One of the biggest shifts needed today isn’t out there—it’s in us… and in the Church.

We’ve started calling sin by another name.

We call it brokenness.

Now, there’s truth there. We are wounded. We are shaped by things beyond our control. But if we’re not careful, that language becomes an escape.

Broken things don’t bear responsibility.

Sin does.

And if we are only broken, then what we need is therapy.

But if we are sinners… then what we need is a Savior.

And that’s exactly why Easter matters.

Jesus didn’t die and rise again just to help us cope.

He didn’t come to make us slightly better.

He came so sinners could be forgiven, restored, and made new.

The Real Question

The earth has shifted.

The tomb is empty.

Jesus is alive.

The question isn’t what happened then.

The question is—what is going to happen in us now?

What needs to shift in your life?

• – From death to life?
• – From despair to joy?
• – From sin to forgiveness?
• – From control to surrender?

Because if the resurrection is true, something in you cannot stay where it is.

An Invitation

The invitation isn’t to try harder.

It’s not to clean yourself up.

It’s to repent and believe the Good News.

To stop pretending.

To stop resisting.

To come to Jesus.

The same power that shook the earth can change your life.

The same Jesus who walked out of that tomb can bring you out of whatever tomb is holding you.

So get off the shaky ground.

And stand on the solid rock—Jesus Christ.

The earth has already shifted.

The only question left is this:

Will you?

Until next time, keep looking up…