Living as Easter People: Come, See, Go, Tell

At the end of Holy Week, Jesus’ ministry—marked by boundary-breaking welcome, healing, and a radical love—appeared to have reached a dead end: arrest, trial, beatings, and death on a Roman cross. Joseph of Arimathea placed the body in a purchased tomb, the stone rolled in place, and grief settled over friends and followers. On the third day, women who had risen early to care for the body instead found an earthquake, a dazzling angel, an empty tomb, and the repeated command: do not be afraid. The angel invited them to come and see, then to go and tell that Jesus had been raised and would appear again in Galilee.

Resurrection gets described not as a tidy, comforting event but as a disruptive, world-altering reality. Resurrection means God is not finished; death does not get the last word. That truth upends systems that run on fear—political power, scarcity, mistrust—and promises that love, forgiveness, and hope endure even when the world seems to insist otherwise. The invitation to “come and see” retains its urgency: witness the way love outlasts violence, grace outlasts shame, and enemies can become neighbors. The mission that follows is simple and practical: experience what God is doing, then tell the story with life and action rather than argument or judgment.

The Easter story centers unlikely witnesses—grieving women who were socially overlooked—chosen to announce the resurrection. The narrative reframes worthiness: those who feel not religious enough, not moral enough, or overlooked by institutions remain precisely the people God tends to use. Faith does not demand perfect understanding; it requires willingness to give what one can and to live as an Easter people. Living as Easter people looks like holding fear and joy together, noticing small resurrections in reconciled relationships, recovery, forgiveness, and community gatherings. The church’s role becomes to embody and proclaim, in word and deed, that the tomb is empty and that new life breaks into ordinary places.

Communion, confession, and a closing blessing reinforce the call: do not be afraid, because the empty tomb signals ongoing life, hope, and love. Practical next steps—membership vows, youth recognition, upcoming building decisions, and a new sermon series—underscore a community seeking to live out the resurrection in concrete ways.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Resurrection upends expected endings and power Resurrection declares that apparent dead ends do not finalize the story. It challenges systems built on fear and compels a reordering of priorities: love, not power, shapes the future. Embracing resurrection reorients action toward justice, mercy, and persistent hope rather than resignation. [26:50]
• 2. Fear and joy can coexist Faith often carries both trembling uncertainty and deep gladness simultaneously. The women left the tomb with fear and great joy, showing that awe and apprehension can travel together. Allowing both emotions refines spiritual perception and readies one to spot life emerging from loss. [42:05]
• 3. Come, see; then go and tell Witness takes precedence over argument: encounter the reality of God's work, then share it through life and testimony. This approach values hospitality, embodied love, and integrity over debates or condemnation. Living this way invites others into transformation rather than defending doctrine. [29:08]
• 4. Church is for imperfect people God routinely chooses the overlooked and imperfect to advance new life and hope. Feeling unworthy does not disqualify someone from participation; rather, willingness to belong and to grow matters most. Community forms as people show up, bear one another’s burdens, and practice forgiveness and welcome. [34:37]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [15:08] - Jesus’ ministry and Holy Week
• [16:18] - Burial in Joseph’s tomb
• [17:32] - Empty tomb and the surprise
• [19:06] - Easter for imperfect believers
• [21:28] - Women visit the tomb to care
• [23:59] - Gospel reading: angel and command
• [26:50] - Resurrection’s disruptive power
• [29:08] - Come and see; go and tell
• [34:37] - God uses the overlooked
• [42:05] - Fear accompanied by great joy
• [46:19] - Do not be afraid: charge
• [48:44] - Communion prayer and blessing
• [62:07] - Building plans and church vote

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 are looking for 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, ‘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. What were the women planning to do when they went to the tomb that morning, and what did they find instead?
2. What two emotions did the women experience as they left the tomb, and what does it mean that they felt both at the same time?
3. What specific two-part instruction did the angel give to the women after telling them not to be afraid?
4. According to the sermon, what kind of people does God tend to use to announce new life and hope? [34:37]

Interpretation questions

1. The command "do not be afraid" is repeated throughout the Easter story. Why is resurrection, and the reality it introduces, something that could be considered terrifying or disruptive? [25:05]
2. The sermon suggests that a lot of our world, including politics and advertising, runs on fear. How does the empty tomb directly challenge the systems and powers that rely on fear to maintain control? [27:27]
3. What does it mean that the first witnesses were women, whose testimony was often overlooked in that culture? How does this choice reflect God's view of worthiness and who gets to participate in his work?
4. The pattern described is "come and see" and then "go and tell." How is this approach different from how faith is often shared or defended in the world today? [31:09]

Application questions

1. The resurrection declares that death doesn't get the last word and that God is not finished. [26:50] What is one "dead end" in your life, our community, or the world that you need to look at again with the hope that God might be doing a new thing there?
2. Faith often involves holding fear and great joy at the same time. [42:05] Where in your life are you currently experiencing this tension? What would it look like to acknowledge the fear but also lean into the joy of what God might be doing?
3. The core mission is to "come and see" what God is doing and then "go and tell" about it with your life. [29:08] Who is one person in your life you could "go and tell" not with an argument, but by simply sharing a story of where you've seen love, hope, or grace recently?
4. Feeling not "good enough" or "religious enough" is common, but the story shows these are often the people God uses. [34:37] What is one thing that makes you feel unqualified to be part of what God is doing, and how can you offer that part of yourself to God anyway?
5. "Small resurrections" show up in things like healed relationships, recovery, forgiveness, and community. [44:12] Where have you witnessed a "small resurrection" recently, and how did it point to the larger hope of Easter?
6. Living as an Easter person means believing love is stronger than hate and hope is more powerful than despair, even when it's scary. [45:24] What is one practical, small step you could take this week to live as if that is actually true?