The Day After – Now What? A Morning Devotional for the day after Easter.

The Day After Easter – Don’t Forget Redemption
Pastor Calvin Cook –
April 21, 2025

Scripture: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” – Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV)

Easter Sunday was awesome! It was filled with hope, hallelujahs, and the stories of resurrection. But now it is Monday—the day after. Has finding the empty tomb and experiencing the resurrection now become just a memory?

In our everyday walking around lives did we leave the sanctuary of the experience of Easter and moved into what are personal priorities of celebration. Ham dinners, chocolate bunnies, colored eggs, and spending time with people we don’t often see. Did we leave the celebration of Easter for the next step in our journey with Jesus or did we choose to go back to our old pre-Easter lives.

I know, I know, that after the triumphant songs fade and everything is put away that life once again begins to happen and distract us. We have to get back to life, it demands our attention. Emails return. Chores pile up. Worries creep in. But yet what were some of the promises we made? To be more faithful, more patient, showing more kindness, loving God more, making righteous and spreading the Gospel for all to hear and know Jesus is Lord.

And yet, resurrection doesn’t end on Easter. The same Jesus who walked out of the tomb yesterday still walks with you today.
Throughout lent we have been looking at Isaiah 43. I hope that by now this was God speaking to a people who had been stuck in cycles of oppression, rebellion, wandering, and weariness. But His words break through the darkness: “Forget the former things… I am doing a new thing!” This promise wasn’t just for ancient Israel. It’s for you—today.

Easter can’t be just an event we celebrate; it’s a new reality we live in. Redemption didn’t just happen yesterday—it continues today. The blood of the cross still speaks. The stone is still rolled away. And the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to you, not just to rescue you from sin, but to renew your mind, redirect your path, and reignite your purpose.

So don’t let Easter be a one-day celebration. Let it be a daily resurrection. Let today—the day after Easter—be a day to remember that your past does not define you. The cross took your guilt. The tomb buried your shame. And Jesus raised you with Him to walk in newness of life.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You that Easter isn’t over. Help me not to forget the gift of redemption You gave me through the cross and the empty tomb. I receive this new day as a new opportunity to walk in Your grace. Let me not dwell in what was but press into the new thing You are doing. Amen.

I challenge you today to take some time and write down three ways God has brought new life into your heart this Easter. Then ask Him to show you how to walk in that new life today.