Sunday: The Tomb Is Empty

But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.” – Matthew 28:5-6

He is not here.

That’s the message of Easter. The tomb is empty. Jesus is not there.

The women come to the tomb expecting to find a body. They come to mourn. To grieve. To sit with their loss.

But instead, they find an angel. And the angel says: “He is not here. He has been raised.”

And everything changes.

Death is not the end. The tomb is not the final word. Grace is stronger than death.

This Sunday, we’re going to celebrate that. We’re going to shout “Alleluia!” We’re going to sing and pray and remember our baptism and share communion and proclaim that Christ is risen.

But right now, we’re still in the waiting.

Tonight is Maundy Thursday. Tomorrow is Good Friday. Saturday is the long silence.

And then Sunday. Resurrection.

I know it’s hard to wait. I know you want to skip ahead to the good part. I know you’re tired of the darkness and the grief and the not-knowing.

But we have to walk through Friday to get to Sunday. We have to sit in the tomb before we can celebrate the empty tomb.

So here’s what I want you to hold onto this week:

Sunday is coming.

The tomb will be empty. Death will be defeated. Grace will rise.

But not yet. Not today. Not tomorrow.

First, we wait. We grieve. We sit in the darkness.

And then—then—we celebrate.

I’ll see you Sunday morning. We’ll gather at the empty tomb. We’ll proclaim that Christ is risen. We’ll encounter grace unbound.

But until then: hold on. Keep going. Sunday is coming.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Travis