The *cross* was a gift from God. It provides us with two kinds of sanctification. *Positional sanctification* is Christ's work *for* us, crediting us with the achievement of Jesus' sacrifice. *Progressive sanctification* is Christ's work *in* us, making us more like him. We can't be more saved than we were the day we accepted Christ, but we can grow in that salvation.
The final gift of Easter is the *empty grave clothes.* God took a token of tragedy and turned it into a symbol of triumph. We all face tragedy and hardships, but the promise of the empty grave clothes is that God is always at work to bring victory and new life, even from the rags of death.
