Easter 2026 :: He Was the Message // Chris Holm

Easter raises a question most people never think to ask: why does Christianity still exist?Every major movement in history follows a predictable pattern. Unrest, a charismatic leader, a compelling message, a growing following. The leader dies, and the followers carry the ideas forward. Islam, the civil rights movement, countless others. The pattern makes sense.Christianity doesn't fit.Jesus never talked about overthrowing anything. He told people to pay their taxes and said his kingdom wasn't even of this world. The crowd that cheered him on Palm Sunday turned on him by Friday because he refused to be the liberator they wanted. And the core problem with his message was that Jesus placed himself at the center of it. He didn't ask people to trust his ideas or his principles. He asked them to trust him.So when Jesus died, everything died with him. His closest followers scattered. Peter denied him to a middle school girl. There was nothing to pass on because the message was a person, and the person was gone.Then Sunday happened.Mary shows up at the tomb expecting a body. The stone is moved. She assumes theft, not resurrection. The men think she's out of her mind. Peter runs in. John outruns Peter (and makes sure we know that). They find burial linens, folded and empty.And everything changes.Those same scattered cowards walk into the streets of Jerusalem with one message: you killed him, God raised him, we saw him, repent.The resurrection is the only explanation for the church. And for followers of Jesus, it's something more personal. It's a receipt. Proof that the debt has been paid in full.If you've been on the fence, this is the weekend to step off it.URF WEBSITE: ➤ http://www.urfellowship.comSOCIALS: ➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/urfellowship/➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/urfellowship