Everyone has a stake in Easter

1 Peter 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

I hope for many things: continued happiness in marriage, equal contentment in marriage and rewarding careers for my kids, success in my own career, to lose weight and be healthy, success in this turkey season and throughout the fishing season, and so on.  Without Easter, however, there is no hope at all in this world.  Jesus conquered death and in so doing provides us the source of all hope.  Without that hope of eternal life, everything else begins to lose value until it is meaningless.  After all, what good is a career or any accomplishments in this life if there is no legacy, no eternal significance, no change to a world doomed to death?  We might as well live a self-centered life focused on personal pleasure for the fleeting time we are here if there is no eternity.  Why build up our fellow man, or contribute to science, knowledge, society, or living standards at all if all we do is live a short, pitiful life and die?  Even Paul admitted that if we place trust in Jesus only for what it gets us in this life, we are to be pitied (1 Cor 15:19).  There must be more beyond my own little self-centeredness and earthly existence. 
When the tomb was found empty, God revealed that death isn't final.  If death isn't final, there is hope for eternal life.  The context of hope for eternal life gives purpose and meaning to our earthly lives.  Suddenly self-improvement, helping others around us, and worshipping God has meaning and value not only in this life, but beyond it as well. 
Regardless of whether you're an active Christian, a "Christmas and Easter" church attender, someone of another faith, or claim to be atheist, you have a stake in Easter.  Without the resurrection, you're subjugating your hopes and dreams to the randomness of a world evolving with no purpose, direction, or meaning and one that exists only for a few fleeting years.  Without resurrection, there really is no hope at all.  There is no hope for your marriage, no hope for your career, no hope for your kids, no hope for your next meal or even your next breath outside the fact of Jesus' resurrection.  You may realize short-term gains, but in the end it all goes away with no significance to you or value. 
Jesus' resurrection not only conquered death, but provides a meaningful rationale for all hope.  So if you have hopes and dreams for this life, you have a stake in the resurrection that we celebrate today whether you admit it or not.  Why not embrace the eternal significance of the source of all hope?