"They found the stone rolled away from the tomb."
It's Wednesday, so I'm thinking about the most important event that ever happened.
On Wednesdays, I workshop the sermon. It’s Easter - is there a bigger preaching assignment?
Reading:
Luke 24:1-12
On the first day of the week, at early dawn, the women who had come with Jesus from Galilee came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again." Then they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.
Scripture: The tomb is empty. Jesus is not dead. This changes everything.
It’s astonishing. It’s unbelievable - literally! The apostles didn’t believe the women when they told them (incidentally, I don’t think it’s because they were women. I think it was because it was so hard to fathom!).
Jesus’ resurrection was generally not met with jubilation. It was more like terror, astonishment, disbelief, and confusion.
Which makes sense, because of how awe-inspiring and earth shattering (literally!) it was.
And still is.