The Still Empty Tomb

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Have you ever had a chaotic Sunday morning?

I’m talking about one of those mornings when, at the very least, something in the normal routine goes wrong. The breakfast gets burned, the shoes are lost, and someone, somewhere, just really doesn’t want to brush their teeth?

I have lived through more than a couple of these Sundays before having a family of my own to get out the door. My parents always did their best, but raising six kids of various ages had its own challenges, and many of these issues showed up on any given Sunday morning. When the same started happening with my son and husband in the last few years, I wasn't at all shocked.

My family’s most recent challenging service to attend was none other than Easter Sunday – the one the enemy did not want us to celebrate.

On this particular Sunday, it seemed as though there were no shoes to be found anywhere. The outfits needed to be ironed, and we also learned that some kind of critter had crawled into our back room and helped himself to the Easter candy. My 17-month-old son had even managed to swipe my makeup brushes from the bathroom and hide them somewhere no one could find. Meanwhile, as I was finishing the first trimester of my third pregnancy, my morning sickness was at its height.

We were almost ready to skip service and watch it Covid-style on the television.

Then, I got a call from my mom.

An hour before our church’s start time, we received a call that one of my sisters was being taken to the hospital for health issues. As the oldest and the resident worrier of our siblings, I was ready to jump in the car and ride with them, but we were assured she would be in good hands while they figured out what was going on – and I was told to go to church.

So, I did.

Along with my other sisters, my husband, my toddler, and the lemon-sized baby growing in my belly, we all attended church.

And while we were there, all those earlier tasks and troubles (other than the concern for my ailing sister, whom we were continually praying for) seemed to fade in the light of something truly amazing – the empty tomb.

As our pastor delivered a powerful sermon, the Scripture he used from Mark 16 specifically stood out to me.

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomband they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed (Mark 16:1-5).

These women, who loved Jesus very much, traveled to the tomb to anoint His deceased body, perhaps what they thought would be their final act of love for Him. They went there with their own concerns and cares, their hearts broken by the loss of their precious Jesus. Yet when they arrived, His body wasn’t there.

Instead, an angel told them not to be afraid.

Sometimes, living out our faith and making it to a Sunday morning service can feel like these women (probably felt as they were) heading toward the tomb – heavy. Weighty worries and cumbersome burdens are placed on us, yet we go trusting that our God cares and has a plan for us. When we come face-to-face with the Heavenly Father, there is a peace that passes all understanding.

And that tomb? It’s still empty.

Praise Him!

We don’t have to wait another calendar year to celebrate our risen Savior on Easter. Daily, as followers of Christ, we can rejoice that we have a relationship with the living Lord who lovingly meets us when life gets challenging.

After all, He is alive!

“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you’” (Mark 16:-6-7). Emphasis added.

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