Come and See, Go and Tell Easter Sunday 4/5/26

Easter morning unfolds as an extended portrait of welcome, wonder, and action. Communion appears not merely as a memorial but as a feast of resurrection: bread and juice reconnect worshipers to the risen life of Christ and to one another across time and space. The table functions as a meal of grace—open to everyone regardless of background, baptism status, age, or past mistakes—and it meets doubting hearts with embodied peace rather than demanding perfect certainty. The word Eucharist reframes the meal as thanksgiving, inviting a posture of gratitude that shapes communal life.

Parallel images of ecological and social renewal illustrate how resurrection takes shape in the world. A university’s decision to stop mowing thirty acres becomes a vivid example of regeneration: letting native systems return heals soil, invites pollinators, reduces labor and pollution, and teaches that messy can mean alive. A congregation in contested Belfast models reconciliation when former enemies learn to trust one another through shared care, showing that healing requires risk, persistence, and a willingness to bear one another’s humanity.

Scripture scenes emphasize that resurrection arrives in darkness—when despair feels total and death seems final. An angel’s dazzling disruption overturns expectations, silences the mechanisms of power, and issues a twin summons: do not fear, and go tell the others. Encounter with the risen Christ transforms fear into worship and sends the renewed to return home differently, carrying purpose and hope. The liturgy—creed, prayers, the Lord’s Prayer, and the breaking of bread—frames these realities as both remembrance and commissioning. The congregation receives gifts and then prepares to be sent: participants are called to practice regeneration in creation, reconciliation among neighbors, and resurrection-shaped living in daily life. The closing benediction presses that all who leave should carry faith, love, and the Spirit’s power into their neighborhoods, work, and relationships.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Communion is a feast of resurrection Communion embodies the risen life, not merely memory. Sharing bread and juice recreates the disciples’ table and makes presence tangible: embodied signs open sight to the resurrected Christ and reshape how people understand grace, community, and thanksgiving. [29:44]
• 2. All are welcome at the table The table refuses purity tests; it receives people with doubt, messy histories, and varied traditions. Inclusion here models a theology that trusts grace to encounter the whole person and trusts that participation often deepens faith more than exclusion ever could. [30:15]
• 3. Resurrection arrives in the dark Resurrection breaks into places of loss, grief, and apparent defeat and overturns expectations with disruptive, beautiful presence. That arrival both terrifies oppressive powers and compels eyewitnesses to run, worship, and tell others what they have seen and felt. [46:04]
• 4. Regeneration and reconciliation precede resurrection Letting ecosystems and relationships heal requires relinquishing familiar control and choosing long-term care over short-term order. Practical acts—restoring native meadows or rebuilding contested churches—reconnect communities to life and prepare hearts and places to receive deeper resurrection transformation. [41:53]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [28:43] - Youth Invitation
• [29:44] - Communion as Resurrection Feast
• [30:15] - Who Is Invited?
• [32:04] - Bread and Juice Explained
• [32:45] - Doubt and Peace at Table
• [34:03] - Eucharist: Thanksgiving
• [39:11] - Meadow Regeneration Example
• [42:35] - Reconciliation in Belfast
• [46:04] - Resurrection Comes in Darkness
• [47:47] - Angel’s Message: Do Not Fear
• [48:58] - Commission: Go and Tell
• [49:33] - Call to Be Resurrection People
• [55:00] - Affirmation: Nicene Creed
• [77:07] - Communion Practice & Sending

Bible reading: Matthew 28:1-10 (ESV)
Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

Observation questions

1. According to the passage, what was the emotional state of the women when they left the tomb, and what were they instructed to do?
2. The angel tells the women, "He is not here, for he has risen, as he said." What does this tell us about Jesus's nature and the nature of his promises?
3. What practical examples were given of regeneration and reconciliation, like the meadow and the church in Belfast? [39:11] [42:35]
4. How is the communion table described as being open to people? What specific types of people or conditions were mentioned as being welcome? [30:15]

Interpretation questions

1. The resurrection announcement came in the darkness of early morning and in a place of death. Why might God choose to reveal his greatest work in such seemingly hopeless settings? [46:04]
2. The angel's message was both comforting ("do not be afraid") and commissioning ("go and tell"). How do these two commands work together for those who encounter the risen Christ?
3. The university's decision to stop mowing the lawn looked "messy" but resulted in new life. How can this idea of "messy can be synonymous with alive" apply to our communities and relationships? [41:10]
4. The table is open to those with doubts, seeing participation as a way to deepen faith rather than requiring certainty first. What does this approach say about how grace operates? [32:45]

Application questions

1. Resurrection breaks into places of loss and grief. [46:04] What is an area of your life or our world that feels like a place of "darkness" where you need to be reminded that resurrection is possible?
2. The call to "go and tell" is a direct result of encountering the risen Christ. Who is one person in your life that you can "go and tell" about the hope you have, not with a perfect argument, but with a simple testimony?
3. Communion is a feast of resurrection that reconnects us to Christ and to each other. [29:44] How can participating in communion this week change your perspective on a current struggle, reminding you that you are part of a story bigger than yourself?
4. Practical acts of regeneration—like restoring an ecosystem—and reconciliation—like rebuilding trust between enemies—prepare the way for resurrection. [41:53] [45:32] What is one small, practical step you can take this week to bring healing to a relationship or to your corner of creation?
5. The table refuses purity tests and welcomes everyone. [30:15] Is there someone you have been hesitant to engage with because of their background, beliefs, or past mistakes? How can you extend a tangible welcome to them, reflecting the grace you have received?
6. The angel's message overturns expectations and silences the mechanisms of power. [46:37] What is a fear or a "power" (like anxiety, control, or a difficult circumstance) that feels overwhelming to you right now? How does the truth that Christ is risen speak directly to that fear?