Dear CCU family,
In the Considine Chapel on campus, there is a cross placed on the stage — a full-scale model as we thoughtfully consider its final design, size, and placement. It is not yet the finished piece, but even in this form, it draws our attention to something far greater than itself.
The cross invites us to pause.
To consider.
To remember.
And this Easter, it calls each of us to do the same — not only as a university community, but personally.
We pause to remember and proclaim the foundational truth of our faith:
He is not here, for he has risen, as he said.
- Matthew 28:6 (ESV)
Good Friday calls us to reflect on the weight of the cross — the suffering, sacrifice, and profound love displayed by our Savior, Jesus Christ. It reminds us that our sin is real and its cost was great. Jesus bore that weight fully and willingly, satisfying the justice of a holy God. When he declared, “It is finished,” the work of redemption was complete. The debt we could never pay was satisfied in full.
But the cross was not the end of the story.
Easter is the declaration of victory.
Jesus Christ is risen. He is alive. And because he lives, everything has changed.
Let us be clear about what the resurrection of Jesus Christ accomplishes:
It secures our redemption: “He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification” (Romans 4:25, ESV). The resurrection is God’s declaration that the payment was sufficient, the sacrifice accepted, and the way of salvation secured. As Scripture proclaims, “Death is swallowed up in victory … thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:54, 57, ESV).
It establishes his authority: “Christ Jesus is the one who died — more than that, who was raised — who is at the right hand of God” (Romans 8:34, ESV). The risen Christ is not distant or passive. He reigns. He intercedes. He rules with all authority in heaven and on earth. The resurrection vindicates who he claimed to be — the Son of God and rightful ruler over all creation.
It guarantees our future hope: “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore” (Revelation 1:17–18, ESV). Because he lives, we too shall live. The empty tomb assures us that death does not have the final word and that history is moving toward the return and reign of Christ.
This is not symbolic language. It is an eternal reality.
At Colorado Christian University, this remains our unwavering confession: Jesus Christ is risen. This is our conviction: he alone is the source of life and salvation. And he is the center of all we do — the embodiment of God’s perfect love and reality, balancing unconditional grace with divine truth. Our mission flows from this foundation: to prepare students to lead with courage and conviction, to faithfully proclaim the Gospel, and to equip the next generation of Christians to influence the world for Christ.
As Tammy and I reflect on this, we are deeply grateful for how God continues to work in and through this community. You are a testimony to the power of the risen Christ — evidence that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in his people today (Ephesians 1:19–20, ESV).
This Easter season, we pray that the reality of the resurrection would take deeper root in each of your hearts:
May you live in the confidence of the resurrection.
May you walk in the power of his Spirit.
May you be anchored in the hope that does not fade.
We worship Jesus Christ — crucified, risen, and reigning. Our Redeemer, our Advocate, and our soon-coming King.
From our family to yours, and from all of us at Colorado Christian University, we proclaim with joy:
He is risen, indeed!
Soli Deo Gloria,
Eric Hogue, Th.M.
President
Colorado Christian University