On Holy Thursday, Peter swore that he would never leave Jesus, and a few hours later, the cock was crowing three times to remind him he had utterly failed. Now, seven weeks later, filled with the Holy Spirit, he stands up before a whole crowd in Jerusalem, and really gives it to them, as he preaches about Jesus, his death on the cross, and the resurrection. He is not concerned for his own life or well-being, as he tells the people that they took God’s Son and colluded to do the utterly unthinkable – crucify him.

That is but one Easter paradox. Peter the failure, and Peter the fearless preacher. The paradoxes about Jesus go much deeper. He looks like his life has come to nothing, dying on the cross. He is under God’s curse, because only someone cursed by God can die in such a shameful and humiliating manner. He looks like he has lost everything – his life, any hope, any joy. He looks a total loser as he ends up in darkness and the grave. And yet he has changed everything. He has carried the sin of the world, removing its power to condemn. He has grabbed death by the throat, forcing it to release all its victims. He has transformed all our times of shame and failure, promising to bring us safely through.

Easter is the heart of our faith, and a great paradox. That means that here will be paradoxes at the heart of our lives too – things that shouldn’t exist together – but do. We are both saint and sinner, we get things wrong, but we are forgiven. Things can look ugly and godless, but God’s strength and power are still at work deep down. Easter was totally unexpected, and that means our lives will also have totally unexpected good outcomes in Christ.