We’ve all had times when things didn’t quite go according to plan. Just think back to the Covid restrictions of 2020-21, and all of the disruption and confusion that ensued then! There were many plans and schedules that were changed then. But our lives can be subject to more serious interruptions, too. My Dad died unexpectedly at the age of 60, and since then his presence has been deeply missed at key moments in the life of our family such as marriages, my ordination, and the arrival of grandchildren. At least Dad is “with Christ, which is better by far” (Philippians 1:23b). Yet it’s not exactly how we’d have planned things.

Thankfully, there is someone whose plans can never be derailed. This week we commemorate the most important events in all of history: the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. While many thought these were interruptions to the plan, nothing could be further from the truth. Christ’s suffering and death was not an unexpected victory for His enemies, but took place “by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge” (Acts 2:23a). That plan was our salvation. The cross was not a case of Jesus having been ‘in the wrong place at the wrong time’; He willingly laid down His life in our place, bearing God’s wrath for our sins (Isaiah 53:5-9; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 4:10). The resurrection was no surprise to God either, as if He was forced to spontaneously come up with a solution to a problem. Acts 2 shows how even Christ’s resurrection had been foretold in Scripture centuries before He came to earth (Psalm 16:8-11). This good news shows us how we can be made right with God and given life with Him forever.  Jesus Christ is the ultimate proof of God’s saving love and power. The cross and the empty tomb remind us that there is victory even over the worst enemies of all: sin and death.

So this Easter, may we give thanks that all worked out according to God’s plan, fulfilled in His crucified and risen Son!