They came expecting to anoint a dead body. Instead, they found an empty tomb, folded grave clothes, and two angels declaring, “He is not here, but has risen.” In Luke 24:1–12, the women who had followed Jesus were the first to hear the resurrection news—and it was not what they expected.

Before the sun rose, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb—and nothing would ever be the same again. In John 20:1–18, she finds the stone rolled away, the grave clothes folded, and a gardener who speaks her name with divine familiarity. It was Jesus—alive. Risen. Just as He promised.

On this most solemn day, we behold Christ crucified—our Savior lifted high upon the cross. In John 19:25–37, the Gospel writer gives us a deeply personal and eyewitness account of Jesus’ final moments. John stood at the foot of the cross. He saw the blood and water flow. He heard Christ’s final words and watched Him breathe His last.

On this sacred night, we gather with Christ in the upper room. The bread and wine—ancient elements of the Passover—become something entirely new. In Luke 22:7–20, Jesus reveals that the long-anticipated promise of God is now fulfilled in Him. What was once a remembrance of deliverance from Egypt becomes a new covenant in His blood—deliverance from sin and death itself

Expectations meet reality. You thought your friend had taken a great picture of you, and then you look at it and you want to retake expectations. Reality. Palm Sunday is all about expectations. Meeting reality. As Jesus entered Jerusalem with great fanfare, fanfare, the people thought that he would get rid of the Roman occupation. But the reality was this that Jesus was coming into Jerusalem to give his life for the life of a world...