When Jesus came forth from Joseph's tomb on that unprecedented Sunday morning long ago, what was the first thing he did? Think about it: he met his people, his followers, his friends. The sufferings of the cross were past; from the cross, dying, he had said, "It is finished." He had done what he had come into the world to do: he had opened up a way of salvation for every believing person. Now he was risen from the dead. From that grave, he might have gone straight on to glory, but he didn't. There was yet one other thing he wanted to do: he wanted to meet with his people.

So he met them - first that very morning in the garden near the tomb, and later in a Jerusalem room, and then in Galilee, and since then in their small assembled groups all over the world. "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them," he said. And he is. He is meeting with us as we are meeting here today.

Our meeting together with him is, I think, important to him. It is something he wants, something he yearns for, something he chose to do on that first Lord's Day long ago, and something he chooses still. And I believe he is glad when we choose it too.

Having died, he might have gone on from his grave, but he chose to come back from it. He chose to come back to us - to reassure us, to comfort us, to reinforce our faith, to let us know that life in him is mightier than death can ever be. And this he is doing as he meets with us here today.