Easter At Eastside! | 2026

Easter gathered a multi-campus community to launch a series called "Thirty Days to Live," inviting urgent reflection on the brevity of life. The series frames mortality not as a morbid curiosity but as a clarifying lens: counting days exposes misplaced priorities and presses for action now. Jesus provides the central model—he knew the hour of his death, faced it with focused resolve, and refused escape or panic; his steadfastness arose from a hope that functions as an anchor for the soul. That anchor sustains through betrayal, loss, and the worst storms, and it reorders what ultimately matters when days feel numbered.

The narrative emphasizes that Jesus did not merely suffer; he willingly gave his life with joy because the salvation of others lay before him. Value reveals itself by the price one is willing to pay; God paid a high price to redeem people, which defines human worth beyond shame, mistakes, or status. The cross, violent and humiliating, becomes for believers the place where love took action rather than the site of senseless defeat.

The resurrection completes the circle: death did not have the final word. The empty tomb demonstrates a uniquely historical, world-changing victory that explains the movement’s endurance and fuels a call to new life. Practical consequences follow: live with urgency, reconcile where there is brokenness, confess where there is hidden pain, forgive where there is bitterness, and invest in people rather than trophies. Baptism appears as the concrete initiation into death-and-resurrection life—an immediate, public identification with the death, burial, and rising that Jesus embodied.

The message issues a direct invitation: respond today as if tomorrow’s meeting with Christ were certain. Whether that means verbalizing love to children, forgiving an enemy, seeking help for destructive habits, or publicly identifying with Christ in baptism, the present moment matters. The resurrected life offers both the courage to face limited time and the hope that transforms how those final days are lived.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Face the clock without flinching Jesus acknowledged fear and trouble yet moved forward with resolute purpose, refusing panic or avoidance. Anchoring hope in God transforms anxiety about limited time into clarity of mission. This posture calls for intentional priorities, not frantic busyness—choosing what truly matters in the time that remains. [46:44]
• 2. Embrace the cross with joy The cross becomes joy when its cost redeems others; the willingness to suffer gains meaning because of who will be restored. Value shows itself by what someone will pay, and God’s costly love declares each person priceless. Christians are invited to see suffering through that lens: painful, yes, but subsumed into a greater redeeming purpose. [52:48]
• 3. Resurrection opens the door to new life The empty tomb proves that death does not decide the story and that hope acts with historical force. Resurrection validates a life lived toward others and demands practical change now—repentance, reconciliation, and public identification with Christ. Baptism symbolizes and enacts this union with Jesus’ death, burial, and rising into a transformed way of living. [61:10]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [40:54] - Easter gathering across campuses
• [41:35] - Launch: Thirty Days to Live
• [43:56] - Imagine thirty days to live
• [46:44] - Takeaway 1: Face the clock
• [52:48] - Takeaway 2: Embrace the cross with joy
• [61:10] - Takeaway 3: Resurrection opens new life
• [63:48] - Urgency from funerals and regrets
• [69:25] - Invitation to follow and baptize
• [74:16] - Baptism invitation and logistics
• [76:24] - Closing and next steps

1. In John 12:27, what two contrasting emotions or responses does Jesus express about his impending death?
2. According to Hebrews 6:19, what is hope compared to, and what are its two key characteristics?
3. Hebrews 12:2 states that Jesus endured the cross "for the joy that was set before him." What was the source of that joy, according to the message? [54:59]
4. What practical, real-life changes were suggested for someone who internalizes the reality of their limited days? [01:04:39]

1. How does the concept of an "anchor for the soul" provide a different way to face fear and anxiety about the future than simply trying to avoid difficult circumstances?
2. The idea that value is determined by what someone is willing to pay was illustrated with a story about a bank [56:15]. How does this principle transform a person's understanding of their own self-worth when applied to the cross?
3. The resurrection is described as a historical event that changes everything. Why is the physical emptiness of the tomb so critical to the Christian faith, as opposed to it just being a spiritual metaphor? [01:01:57]
4. If someone on their deathbed consistently regrets holding onto grudges and prioritizing trophies over people [01:04:55], what does this reveal about what truly matters when time is short?

1. If tomorrow you stood before Jesus, what is one thing you would wish you had done today? [01:05:42]
2. What is one relationship where you are currently nursing a grudge or postponing an apology? What would it look like to give yourself the gift of no longer drinking the "self-destructive poison of unforgiveness" this week? [01:07:08]
3. Where are you investing most of your time and energy: building your own kingdom or investing in God's kingdom? What is one practical step you could take this week to invest more in the people you can take to heaven with you? [01:07:45]
4. Is there a step of faith or obedience—like telling someone you love them, seeking help for a secret struggle, or being baptized—that you have been postponing as if you have all the time in the world? [01:06:02] [01:06:41] What is holding you back from doing that today?
5. When you feel the waves of anxiety about an uncertain future, how can you practically "squeeze tight" the anchor of hope you have in Christ? What does that look like in your daily routine? [52:04]