Early in the morning on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone was moved away from the entrance. She ran at once to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, breathlessly panting, “They took the Master from the tomb. We don’t know where they’ve put him”. (John 20: 1 – 2)

Michael Jordan is consistently ranked among the greatest basketball players of all time. He was the lead player on the six-time championship-winning Chicago Bulls team of the 1990s. He won every honour and accolade of his sport. His net worth is in the billions. But his story doesn’t start there. The wins and glory and fortune and fame were a culmination of years of hard work – learning the fundamentals of the game, pushing himself to improve, promising his college coach that “nobody will ever work as hard as I work,” learning from his Bulls coach the strength of teamwork and inner calm, and constantly expecting “great things” of himself and others.

If we only look at the end results, we miss the fullness of the narrative – the history of failures and successes, the lessons learned and the witness given.

The same holds true to Easter. Yes, we bask in the glory of Christ’s Resurrection. But never forget Jesus’ backstory: his humble birth, inclusive ministry, and message of love. That’s what you’ll need to know – and follow – to achieve the great things of this season.