There are two moments in the Aussie calendar that call us to stop, reflect, and remember. Easter… and Anzac Day. One speaks of a rugged hill outside Jerusalem. The other of the cliffs of Gallipoli. One gives us the Cross. The other, the Southern Cross, draped across the shoulders of the fallen.
Different times. Different places. But both speak of sacrifice. Both speak of courage. And both remind us that death – though real – does not have the final say.
On that first Easter morning, something happened that shook the world to its foundations. Jesus Christ, crucified and buried, rose from the grave. Not a ghost. Not a vision. The Son of God, alive in the flesh, walking, speaking, breathing. "He is not here," the angel said at the tomb, "He has risen, just as He said" (Matthew 28:6).
It was the moment death lost its sting.
Death had always been the great equaliser. From kings to convicts, no one could escape its grip. But Jesus did more than escape it – He conquered it. "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:55). The Resurrection was not just hope for one man – it was hope for all who would follow Him.
That's something our diggers understood, whether they heard it in the chaplain's voice over the trenches or in their mother's prayers back home. They faced death with grit, not because they had a death wish, but because they believed in something bigger than fear – duty, honour, country… and for many, Christ Himself.
As Anzac Day draws near, we remember those who laid down their lives so we could live free. And as Easter reminds us, freedom always comes at a cost. The Cross wasn't an accident – it was the plan. "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends" (John 15:13). Jesus went to Calvary with full knowledge of what it would cost Him. Just like our Anzacs knew what landing on those beaches might mean.
But here's the difference: Jesus didn't just die. He rose. And in doing so, He gave meaning to every act of sacrifice ever since.
If death had the final say, then Gallipoli was a tragedy and the Cross was a failure. But because Christ walked out of that tomb, we can say with confidence that sacrifice is not in vain. Death is not the end. There is life beyond the grave. "Because I live," Jesus said, "you also will live" (John 14:19).
That truth gives courage to the soldier, comfort to the widow, and hope to the believer.
This ANZAC Day, as the Last Post plays and we bow our heads at dawn services, let us not just remember the fallen – but the Risen. Let us honour the sacrifice of our diggers – and fix our eyes on the Saviour who conquered death itself.
Because the resurrection isn't just ancient history. It's a present power. It reminds us that even in our darkest moments, light breaks through. That even when nations tremble, God remains on the throne. That even when death seems to win, Jesus Christ still stands victorious.
He is risen.
Death has lost its sting.
And because of Him, we live.