The Easter Story if Your Story
Adrian Thornton, Jess Green, David Widjaja

Adrian
As today we’re doing things a little bit different, I want to tell the Easter story in three parts: the death of Christ, the burial of Jesus, and the resurrection where it all makes sense. I think that’s the gospel story for all of us. It’s not just a story, it’s our story, and my prayer is that you would find yourself in it.

When we look at the cross, it’s not just Jesus on the cross. It’s Jesus with our sin, our shame, and our suffering. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross.” This is my story because my sin was in the body of Jesus. This salvation story is your story.

Then there is the burial, this time of waiting and crisis. We were “buried with him in baptism… and raised with him through your faith.” When Jesus was buried, we were buried with him. This is that season where we ask, “What’s happening?” There is grief, confusion, and shock.

Then comes the resurrection. “That power… that raised Christ from the dead… lives in us.”

These three moments are our moments. I want you to see yourself in this story. Whether you feel like Simon, the hesitant follower, the sinner, the doubter, or even the one who denies—Jesus died for every single one.

Jess
I want to share a season in my life where we were in a period of waiting. For about seven years, we were going through IVF, trying to have a family. It was a very difficult process, and we didn’t have control. We had to hold both outcomes equally and trust that God was in control whether it worked or not.

There were many disappointments, and each time we had to believe that if it wasn’t working, it was because “it’s not our time.” I really felt that timing was important and that it wasn’t just about us, but that our story would serve other people as well. That was comforting—to know God is working all of his plans for good, not just for ourselves.

After years of trying, we reached a point where we thought we were done. But then, unexpectedly, we were offered embryos from another family, freely given. It was a way better plan than we had imagined. It wasn’t something I could have thought of for myself. It showed me how God is using time, people, and circumstances in ways we cannot see.

In hindsight, it makes sense. The joy afterwards is so much greater than the confusion during the waiting. Even in the waiting, I learned that God is in control, that his plan is greater, and that he is working beyond what we can understand.

David
When I think about Easter, I ask: what is the right response? Sometimes we react in strange ways. But if Jesus really died and rose again, then our response is the most important response we can give in life.

Every person has a story, and every story has a hinge point. Your story is at a hinge point right now. How are you going to respond to Jesus’ death and resurrection?

I think about Mary. She was at her lowest, grieving, thinking Jesus was gone. But when she saw him, she didn’t see a concept—she saw Jesus. Her friend. The one who loved her in her lowest moment.

And Jesus said, “Go… and tell.” Don’t hold—go and tell.

Your story is too good not to tell. Your struggles with God are just as important as your strolls with God. Sometimes we feel like our story is too small or still being written, but it matters.

So my invitation is simple: don’t hide your story. Go and tell. When your story is fused with Jesus’ story, you can’t help but share it. What is your response? Let’s be people who go and tell.