I like Mondays and I especially like the one after Easter. Though I can’t help but wonder how the Monday must have been for those who experienced the first Easter Sunday.

With all they experienced on Sunday – the emotions, the surprise, the questions, Monday still showed up. Without a doubt the hangover of the resurrection was an uneasy feeling of fear for the future. How do you settle the reality of a man raising from the dead (and lots of other people too)? It is not something you “get over” with a good night’s sleep.

Think about it. On Sunday, when the women approach the tomb, the angel addresses their fear. When Jesus approaches the terrified disciples, he addresses their fear. I’m guessing Monday was yet one more day, the next day, to be afraid.

Last week my daughter had an Easter party at her pre-school. While driving her home she gave me a rundown of the Easter story she heard. Her recap was uniquely told and sometimes hard to follow until she got to the end. She said. “And then they got to the tomb and the angel said, ‘Do not be afraid, He is risen.” It was by far her clearest statement and most coherent thought. It’s not an EXACT quote but it is a pretty darn good summary.

Is there not a more important statement in the story?

Is there not a more significant reality to hold on to?

I recently read that there is not a more frequent command than “Do Not Be Afraid.” Even though this is the case, we still live in fear.

We fear because of uncertainty. We fear because there are things bigger than us. We fear because there are so many things that are out of our control.

I was horrified yesterday as I saw Kevin Ware break his leg during the NCAA basketball game between Louisville and Duke. His teammates crumpling to the ground after seeing what had happened was telling enough of how gruesome it was. I couldn’t help but imagine how they felt. The fear for their teammate, the fear to go on without him, the fear to jump in the air and land on their own legs… yet eventually the buzzer sounded and they had to play on.

So what’s it like the day after you witness someone rise from the dead? What does that Monday have in store? For those early followers it was likely a time of uncertainty. For sure there was an awareness that something bigger than them was happening and that things were out of their control.

But what resolves this more than the resurrection? Is there not a more significant reality to hold on to? If we hold on to the resurrection as truth then we can be certain of the God we believe in. We can be certain that because Jesus rose from the dead He is God and has conquered death. We can rest in the reality that there IS something, someONE bigger than us. We can be fearless because we AREN’T in control.

This is something the early followers eventually figured out. They learned where to place their fear – in the the one who is certain, the one who is bigger, the One who IS God.

What’s going on in your life that gives you uncertainty? What is happening in your world that is bigger than you that concerns you? What keeps you up at night because it’s completely out of your control? Let that remind you that you don’t need to be certain about everything. The resurrection is a great place to start. It’s good to have someone bigger than you and when you think about it it’s better that God is God and you are not.

So Monday has come. The buzzer has sounded and it’s time to play on. Do not be afraid, He has risen.

The Fear Playlist:

1. Not Afraid Anymore – Leeland

2. Whom Shall I Fear – Chris Tomlin

3. Always – Kristian Stanfill

4. You Hold Me Now – Hillsong United

5. We Shall Not Be Shaken – Matt Redman

6. Beneath the Waters – Hillsong

7. Whom Shall I Fear – Lincoln Brewster