Easter Day, Sunday, April 5, 2026

Come And See, Go And Tell

Scripture: Matthew 28:1-10 (NRSVUE) – “After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.  There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.  His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.  The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.  The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.  Come and see the place where he lay.  Then go quickly and tell his disciples: “He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee.  There you will see him.” Now I have told you.’  So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.  Suddenly Jesus met them.  ‘Greetings,’ he said.  They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him.  Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid.  Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.’”

Message: When I read the story of Easter morning, I can’t help but imagine the women making their way to the tomb, surrounded by darkness, and filled with grief.  They have already been through the worst of the worst.  They watched Jesus suffer and die.  When everyone else had left, these women stayed.  Now, as the darkness of the early morning begins to shift, they make their way expecting only more grief, more finality, and more heartache.  

Matthew tells us that as they approach the tomb, the earth shakes and the stone is rolled away. An angel appears and speaks words that change everything: “Do not be afraid;… Come and see.”

Come and see that the tomb is empty and there is life.

This radical reversal does not begin with the women understanding what has happened.  It begins with an invitation where God meets them not with explanations, but with evidence of life.  Even when we expect to find only death and destruction, God is still with us creating new life, inviting us to come close and see. 

Then comes the second invitation: Go and tell the Disciples who are hiding in fear, and who believe all is lost that Jesus is alive.

Matthew says the women leave the tomb “with fear and great joy.”  Joy enters the story and even though fear remains, it is enough to give them the courage to preach the gospel for the very first time EVER!

Easter promises this: no matter where we are in our lives, no matter what we face, we are invited to come and see that Jesus Christ meets us where we are, delivers new life and invites us to experience the transforming power of the resurrection.

Prayer: Father, Creator let us experience the presence of Christ’s love in our life and go tell others about what we’ve found by the love we’ve experienced.  Christ is risen!  And the tomb is not the end.  Amen.

Pastor Emily Edwards

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The Greatest Gift

Scripture: John 3:16 (NRSV) - “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”

Message: I’ll never forget when my first nephew, and then my other nieces and nephews, were born.  They were so precious, so vulnerable.  I didn’t think I could ever love another person as much as I loved them.

I remember one day asking my Mother, “Do you think that if I have my own children someday, I’ll love them as much as I love my nieces and nephews?  I don’t know if it’s possible.”  She replied, “Oh, just you wait – you will!"

Then, that day finally arrived.  It was in the middle of COVID, and my first daughter was born in May of 2020.  The moment they laid her on my chest, I knew instantly that my love for her was deeper than anything I had ever known before.  So tiny and precious, how could such a wonderful gift have been given to me?  A couple of years later, my second daughter was born.  Amazingly, my love for her and her sister grew even deeper!

As I thought about it more, I realized that, as much as I loved my tiny baby girls from the moment I held them in my arms, God loves us even more!  The same God who came in Jesus Christ as a tiny, vulnerable baby, loved me and my daughters (and their Dad) even more than I could ever imagine.  And God loves you that much too!

As deep as my love for my daughters is, God’s love for us is greater still.  That is the ultimate gift of Christmas.

May you celebrate, that in Christ we are so deeply loved and His Love has the power to completely change and transform the world when we recognize who we are in God.  Merry Christmas to you all.

Prayer: Loving God, thank You for the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who came into our world in love and humility that first Christmas.  Help us to remember that Your love for us is deeper than we can ever comprehend.  May Your love transform our hearts and overflow into the world.  Amen.

Pastor Emily

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