Bethel Ontario Online - Early Video Service - Resurrection Day

Devotional

Day 1: The Resurrection Is God's Story, Not Ours

We often try to make faith about our own efforts and achievements. Yet the Easter story reminds us that the central event of our faith was entirely God's doing. The women at the tomb went to perform a final act of love, but their plans were completely interrupted by a divine surprise. They did nothing to cause the resurrection; they could only receive it. This is the foundation of our hope—it is a gift, not a reward. We are invited to rest in the grace of what God has already accomplished. [44:24]

“He has been raised; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.” (Mark 16:6 NRSV)

Reflection: Where in your life are you striving to earn God's love or favor through your own efforts, rather than resting in the completed work of Christ's resurrection?

Day 2: A New Mission from an Empty Tomb

The women arrived at the tomb with a specific task: to anoint a body. They were prepared for an ending, for a final act of closure. Instead, they were met with a new beginning and given a completely different mission. Their purpose shifted from caring for the dead to proclaiming the living. God often meets us in our places of intended service only to redirect us toward His greater, living purpose. Our plans are surrendered for His. [41:01]

“But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” (Mark 16:7 NRSV)

Reflection: What task or plan are you holding onto today that might need to be released so you can receive the new mission God has for you?

Day 3: God's Grace Specifically Includes the Broken

In the midst of delivering the most important news in history, a specific name is mentioned: Peter. This is a profound act of grace, singling out the one who had failed most publicly and was likely drowning in shame. The message was not just for the group but for the individual who felt most unworthy. This illustrates how God's resurrection hope meets us in our specific places of failure and disgrace, calling us by name back into relationship. [42:40]

“The Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 25:8 NRSV)

Reflection: Is there a place in your life where you feel like “Peter”—named by your failure and disqualified from grace? How does the specific mention of his name change how you view God’s invitation to you?

Day 4: He Is Not Here; He Is Going Ahead of You

The core message of Easter is not merely that Jesus was raised, but that He is alive and active in the world. The angel’s declaration, “He is not here,” pushes our gaze away from the tomb—the place of death—and toward the future. “He is going ahead of you” assures us that Christ is already at work in our tomorrows, in our homes, and in our communities. Our call is to follow Him into the places where He is already present. [43:56]

“It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” (Isaiah 25:9 NRSV)

Reflection: As you look toward your “Galilee”—your daily life, work, and relationships—where do you sense Jesus is already going ahead of you, and what would it look like to actively follow Him there?

Day 5: Living Beyond Fear with Resurrection Hope

The original ending of Mark’s Gospel is startlingly honest: the women “said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” This acknowledges that encountering resurrection power can be as terrifying as it is wonderful. Yet, the story does not end with their fear. The rest of the Gospel—and the history of the church—is written by those who, though afraid, eventually moved forward in faith. Resurrection hope empowers us to live beyond our fear, not by denying it, but by trusting the One who goes before us. [46:48]

“He will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces.” (Isaiah 25:8 NRSV)

Reflection: What is one fear—of failure, rejection, or the unknown—that is currently causing you to “say nothing,” and what is one small step of faith you can take this week to move forward in spite of it?

Sermon Summary

Mark's retelling of the resurrection focuses on women who arrive at a tomb expecting to anoint a body and instead encounter an empty space and a young man in white. The women planned a practical task—spices to speed burial—but the scene upends intention: the stone already sits rolled away and the body has gone. The young man announces that Jesus has been raised and instructs them to tell the disciples and Peter that Jesus goes ahead to Galilee. Mark ends abruptly with the women seized by terror and amazement and saying nothing, leaving the narrative unfinished and dangling on the word "for."

The abrupt ending forces attention away from human achievement and back onto divine action. Human efforts could not create the resurrection; people neither earned nor produced it. The story reframes failure and fear—Peter’s denial, the women’s paralysis—not as final verdicts but as contexts into which God moves. The empty tomb points beyond itself: presence has shifted from a corpse to a promise that Jesus will meet the followers ahead on the road.

Mark emphasizes a new mission born out of astonishment and fear: go and tell. The directive includes the failed, the grieving, and the frightened, signaling that discipleship begins where fear remains. Resurrection becomes the engine for hope, not a reward for competence. Liturgical responses—song, prayer, communion, offertory, and a benediction that sends people into streets and everyday paths—translate that unearned gift into a life that looks for Christ beyond the sanctuary and in the ordinary encounters of daily living. The narrative insists that love moves among the living, grief gives way to amazement, and God's restless action invites followers to run toward a risen presence that has already gone ahead.

Key Takeaways

1. Resurrection is God's action, not ours Resurrection originates in divine initiative rather than human achievement. Human attempts to control, prepare, or manufacture Easter prove unnecessary; the empty tomb demonstrates that God has already done the foundational work. This frees disciples from performance theology and redirects energy toward recognizing and following where God has already gone. [44:24]
2. Women bear faithful but fearful witness The women arrive with concrete devotional intent yet leave trembling and silent—faith and fear coexist. Their role underscores that faithful witness often begins in vulnerability rather than certainty, and that testimony can emerge from astonishment. The church receives proclamation from those who risk showing up even when understanding lags. [33:13]
3. Silence can contain holy astonishment The original ending's silence refuses tidy resolution and preserves the rawness of encounter. Silence becomes a sacred space where terror, wonder, and the work of God commingle before proclamation forms. Holding that tension invites patience with mystery rather than a rush to neat explanations. [34:01]
4. Mission begins where fear remains The command to "go and tell" includes the broken, the afraid, and the uncertain—discipleship activates despite ongoing fear. The mandate reframes courage not as absence of fear but as obedience that moves forward while trembling. A risen presence that goes ahead empowers imperfect messengers to bear news of hope. [40:45]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[15:13] - Call to Resurrection
[16:34] - Invocation of Hope
[19:55] - Announcements & Location
[21:16] - Special Music
[30:14] - Isaiah Reading
[31:17] - Gospel: Mark 16:1–8 Read
[34:01] - Mark's Unfinished Ending
[40:45] - The New Mission: Go and Tell
[50:48] - Offering & Community Support
[55:51] - Holy Communion Celebration
[61:01] - Final Hymn of Resurrection
[64:31] - Benediction: Go Into Streets
[65:01] - Closing Blessing and Farewell

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
Mark 16:1–8 (ESV)
When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Observation questions

What task did the women intend to perform at the tomb, and what did they find instead?
How did the young man in the tomb describe Jesus’ current state, and what instruction did he give the women?
How did the women respond after hearing the news, and how does the passage end?
What specific mention is made of Peter in the instruction given by the young man? [41:31]

Interpretation questions

Why might the women have been instructed to tell the disciples and Peter specifically? What significance does this hold? [42:00]
The original ending of Mark closes with the word “for” (Greek: gar), leaving the narrative open. How does this incomplete ending shape the meaning of the resurrection account? [34:47]
The women came to perform a ritual of death but were given a mission of life. How does this shift reflect the nature of Easter? [41:01]
The resurrection is described as God’s action, not a human achievement. How does this affect the way we understand faith and discipleship? [44:24]

Application questions

Resurrection originates in divine initiative rather than human effort. Where in your life are you trying to control outcomes or “make Easter happen” on your own strength? How can you shift toward recognizing where God has already been at work? [44:24]
Faithful witness often begins in vulnerability rather than certainty. When have you felt afraid or unqualified to share hope or faith with others? What would it look like to “go and tell” even while feeling afraid? [46:48]
The women’s silence held a mix of terror and amazement. Are there areas in your life where you’re sitting in holy silence or unresolved tension? How can you practice patience with mystery instead of rushing to easy answers? [34:01]
The risen Christ goes ahead of us into our daily paths—work, home, ordinary routines. How might you actively look for Christ’s presence in the familiar places of your life this week? [43:56]
Peter’s failure was not the end of his story. Where have you experienced failure or denial, and how does the message of Easter specifically include and restore those who feel they’ve fallen short? [42:40]
The mission to “go and tell” is for the afraid, the grieving, and the uncertain. Who in your life needs to hear a word of hope, and how can you extend that invitation even if you don’t feel fully confident? [40:45]
Liturgical practices—communion, prayer, offering—translate resurrection hope into tangible action. How can your everyday acts of generosity, presence, or service become a continuation of Easter joy in the world? [50:48]

Sermon Clips

What did Peter do to deserve this? What did he do? Nothing. And what did the women do? They said nothing to anyone for they were afraid. Nothing. What did any of them do to make this Easter moment happen? Nothing. What do any of us do to deserve Easter? Nothing. And what do we do to receive Easter? Nothing but receive it. Who's who in the Easter story? Not them, not us. Only him. [00:42:45] (40 seconds) #EasterByGrace

And as you may have noticed, Mark doesn't even have Jesus appear in the original ending. Jesus doesn't pop up from behind a rolled away stone and shout, surprise. He doesn't encounter anyone wandering in the garden. It is just a presence. No. A a presence. He's not here. He will meet you, though. He will meet you where you live. He's already there ahead of you. Get moving. Get going, or Easter will go on without you. [00:43:26] (37 seconds) #HeIsAlreadyThere

That's what we do on Easter. We we run to catch up. We run to find the one who has gone before us, the one who was raised for us. What did we do to make Easter happen? Nothing. What did we do to deserve such a gift, such a moment? Nothing. What can we do to stop it or make it better? Nothing. Easter is. Easter was and is and always will be, and we did nothing. [00:44:02] (29 seconds) #RunToResurrection

It was the worst day of Peter's life, and he knew he had failed. He had failed to keep his word that he had so vehemently declared mere hours before that damnable rooster. Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you. And I he did inside, in his soul, in his sense of self. Who's who, Peter? Who's you? Nobody. That's who. But now the mission is go and tell his disciples and Peter. [00:42:00] (44 seconds) #PeterFailedThenSent

Anyway, ending at verse eight, Mark's book actually ends with a preposition, gar, which means for. Grammar nerds will agree that is no way to end a sentence, much less a book dangling. Everything feels incomplete. Everything is left hanging. Yeah. Well, that's Christianity. It's not done. Tied up in a ribbon, but incomplete ongoing. The rest of the story is, well, it's today. It's tomorrow. It's our lives. It's our church's mission. [00:34:41] (34 seconds) #UnfinishedStory

So now their mission, should we choose to accept it, is ours. It's time to get going. Even if we are afraid, it's time to get going. Have faith. Faith steps in when we cannot understand. You will see him. He told you that. Remember? Only God can take the tragedy of the cross and turn it into an Easter celebration of hope. [00:46:32] (37 seconds) #TakeTheMission

Well, now since they clearly were not going to be anointing the body of Jesus, what were they to do? The young man tells them, but go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee. There you will see him just as he told you. Did you notice? There you will see him. He's already up and about. He's gonna meet us down the road. A new mission was given to them, but go and tell his disciples. [00:40:30] (32 seconds) #MeetHimInGalilee

Only God can take the tragedy of the cross and turn it into an Easter celebration of hope. It is God's race that rolls away the stones from the tombs of our existence and helps to make sense of it all. You will see him. And in seeing him, you will know that God is at work, bringing comfort, hope, and resurrection. You will see him in every person you meet. You will know who's who. Amen. Amen. [00:46:59] (40 seconds) #ResurrectionHope

Anyway, that's kind of a strange ending, don't you think? Kind of weak, Kind of a damp squib of an ending, a dud, a firework that didn't go off, a sputter instead of an explosion? I mean, okay. You would think that an event as impressive as the resurrection calls for fireworks at the end, wouldn't you? Big widescreen special effects kind of moment filmed in VistaVision Technicolor, high def three d IMAX. But no, we get they said nothing to anyone for they were afraid. [00:35:56] (36 seconds) #NoFireworksJustSilence

They said nothing to anyone for they were afraid. It was what they didn't do that Mark was interested in. They didn't anoint the body because there wasn't a body to anoint. So they were given a different task. They were given a different mission by the young man in the tomb. A young man who seems kinda weirdly familiar. A young man in a garden tomb reminds us of a certain other young man in a garden of violence and betrayal in Mark fourteen fifty one. [00:38:39] (34 seconds) #SilenceSpeaks

A new mission was given to them, but go and tell his disciples. They came with one task and they didn't do it. They couldn't. It was no longer necessary. The things of death are no longer necessary. The attitude of death, the victory of death was no longer. The frightening, hopeless situation no longer existed. So a new mission was needed. Go and tell his disciples and Peter. And Peter? Boy, I bet they had to blink at that. [00:40:56] (39 seconds) #FromDeathToMission

We are who we are not by our doing, but by the grace of God. We are made new not because we earned it, but because God gives it. We have hope not because we are strong enough to work for it or respond to it or claim it. We have hope because God gives it. God gives it in all the ways that we live. God gives it to all the roads and paths that we follow in our life. [00:45:15] (37 seconds) #GraceNotWorks

The faithful women rising early that first dawn of what would become the new Sabbath went to a cemetery expecting to find a corpse. What they found was a messenger of God. Grief turned to fear and to amazement and wonder. Even in their fear and confusion, they wondered, could it be that Jesus was alive? Is that what he meant when he spoke of rising on the third day? [00:46:01] (32 seconds) #FromGriefToWonder

You might wonder why since your bible might have verses nine to 20 included. Well, most scholars have figured out that this is the original ending of the gospel of Mark, verse eight. It is kind of strange. And so we have to kind of allow that verses nine to 20 are a later edition. And and by the way, we should really hope they are a later edition or we need to all start practice handling snakes. Look up those last verses if you're curious. That's a topic for another time. [00:34:06] (35 seconds) #OriginalEnding

This young man in the tomb is filled with the confidence of life eternal. He's not here. Look. See that empty spot? He has been raised. He wasn't interested in tombs, but in what came out of one, or rather who came out of one. Who's who? We aren't introduced to this young man because it isn't his story. He's a pointer, a reference to another. He's not here. Think about this story as if you were one of these women. What do you notice? What do you feel? [00:39:42] (40 seconds) #EmptyTombPointer

I'm sure you remember the last time we saw Peter, he was collapsed sobbing in the courtyard of the high priest's house. The last we heard from Peter, he was spouting curses and swearing oaths that he didn't have a clue of who this Jesus person was. The last we knew of Peter, he was condemned by a rooster crowing in the dawn of a terrible day. It was the worst day of Peter's life, and he knew he had failed. [00:41:35] (31 seconds) #PetersLowestMoment

Now we do not actually know who that young man was. There's been a lot of speculation. And if you don't remember it, just go back and look that up. And yet that young man in that garden who was just kind of watching what was happening in Gethsemane, That young man, he had been just dressed in a a light linen wrap, and he ran off without clothes. He was so scared to death. This young man in the tomb is filled with the confidence of life eternal. [00:39:13] (36 seconds) #MysteriousYoungMan

Well, now who are they in this case? Well, they're the women. The women who went to do something. At least they tried to do something to care for the dead body. And what was the intent of them as they came to the tomb was to anoint him. Mark says they came to anoint him, seemingly forgetting that Jesus was already anointed back in his own chapter 14 by an unnamed woman with an alabaster jar. [00:36:32] (36 seconds) #TheyCameToAnoint

This passage, this telling of the resurrection story in Mark is different from all the other gospels. Notice that Mark's only witnesses are women in a day when people scoffed and disallowed the testimony of women. So I wanna explore it a bit, especially with the women of the story in mind. Here are a few questions I want you to think about as I work my way through my comments today. And I want you to think about these later at home and reread this passage just it's it's intriguing. Here here are my questions. [00:32:53] (36 seconds) #WomenWitnesses

Maybe it was Mary, Mary Magdalene, or Mary who was Martha's sister, or some other Mary, the mother of James, perhaps Jesus' mom, maybe. There were just too many Marys. Mark couldn't keep them all straight. No wonder we get confused. And Salome, wasn't that Herod's daughter who danced a dance that won her a prophet's head? Surely not. Another Salome, thought to be the mother of James and John, Zebedee's wife. Mother of James? Wait. Isn't that Mary, or is that a different James? [00:37:08] (33 seconds) #TooManyMarys

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Bethel Ontario Online - Early Video Service - Resurrection Day

Devotional

Day 1: The Resurrection Is God's Story, Not Ours

Day 2: A New Mission from an Empty Tomb

Day 3: God's Grace Specifically Includes the Broken

Day 4: He Is Not Here; He Is Going Ahead of You

Day 5: Living Beyond Fear with Resurrection Hope

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Bethel Ontario Online - Early Video Service - Resurrection Day

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