Go, See, and Tell: Living as Easter People

On the first day of the week, two women go to the tomb at dawn and find not a corpse but an empty grave. An earthquake, a rolled-away stone, and an angel’s proclamation make clear that death has been overcome; the risen one goes before the disciples and summons witnesses to spread the news. That good news arrives with both cosmic force—lightning, seismic upheaval, new life for the dead—and intimate tenderness, appearing to individuals in their fear and bewilderment and inviting them to recognize and remember. The experience of the first witnesses models a posture of seeing, remembering, and telling: the work of resurrection happens by God's powerful doing, and human response consists in going to see and then speaking the reality into the world.

The reality of resurrection does not erase present suffering. Earth still quakes in illness, injustice, and broken creation; daily life can feel far from the kingdom that the resurrection promises. Yet the gospel persists in small, human ways: a school hallway microphone inviting people to share good news, a community collecting stories, a meal where all are welcomed. The Lord’s table gathers those with doubt and certainty alike, offering nourishment that empowers the community to embody mercy, hospitality, and service.

Being Easter people means living so that others find their good-news stories in one’s life: proclaiming that love can be stronger than fear, peace greater than violence, and that God’s welcome extends to all. The eucharistic table functions as both witness and commissioning—feeding bodies and spirits for the work of proclaiming resurrection in concrete acts of care. The congregation departs with a charge to move chairs, serve neighbors, and return to the ordinary world bearing the extraordinary claim that the good news is alive, calling others to see and to tell.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Resurrection overturns the world’s expectations The empty tomb shatters assumptions about what controls life and death, revealing that ultimate reality rests in God’s creative and restorative power. This overturning demands reorientation: priorities, fears, and investments become measures against a horizon where death does not have the final word. Living in that orientation changes everyday choices about compassion, courage, and honesty. [34:12]
• 2. Good news is cosmic and personal The resurrection bears global, cosmic significance—seismic and awe-full—and also reaches into individual grief, fear, and longing. Both scales matter: cosmic victory grounds justice and hope for nations and nature, while personal encounter transforms hearts, relationships, and memory. Holding both together prevents pietism from privatizing hope or abstraction from neglecting particular suffering. [44:50]
• 3. Go, see, and tell the story Witnessing does not manufacture resurrection; it responds to what God has done by seeing, remembering, and testifying. Testimony becomes a sacramental action that invites others into encounter and community, not merely information to be transmitted. Proclamation shapes communities that practice resurrection through concrete acts of service and hospitality. [35:12]
• 4. The table welcomes every seeker The Lord’s table gathers people with doubt, grief, certainty, and joy without distinction, making the meal a visible sign of inclusive grace. Communion nourishes and reorients those who come, equipping them to embody welcome and justice in public life. That shared feeding models a kingdom where no one stands outside God’s care. [48:21]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [10:34] - Easter greeting and logistics
• [11:18] - Songs of praise
• [32:38] - Family moments and welcome
• [33:49] - Mary and Mary go to the tomb
• [34:12] - Earthquake and the empty tomb
• [35:12] - Angel’s charge: Go and tell
• [36:44] - Fear and joy in transition
• [37:52] - Hallway microphone: sharing good news
• [44:50] - Cosmic and intimate good news
• [46:24] - What it means to be Easter people
• [47:06] - Communion invitation and welcome
• [63:15] - Prayer, sending, and offerings
• [78:57] - Charge, benediction, and dismissal

Based on the sermon summary and transcript provided, here is a Bible study discussion guide.

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 been raised, 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 were the emotional states of the women as they left the tomb, and what specific event caused them to feel this way?
2. What specific instructions did the angel give to the women, and what was the reason given for them to not be afraid?
3. The sermon describes the good news as both "cosmic and personal." [44:50] What elements in this passage point to a cosmic event, and what elements show a personal, intimate encounter?
4. The angel tells the women to "come, see" the empty tomb and then to "go and tell." What is the significance of this sequence of actions?

Interpretation questions

1. The women were told to go and tell the disciples that Jesus was going ahead of them to Galilee. What might it mean for Jesus to "go ahead" of his people into their everyday lives and worlds?
2. The reality of resurrection does not erase present suffering. [36:44] How can the cosmic victory of Easter exist alongside the ongoing earthquakes of illness, injustice, and fear in our daily lives?
3. The sermon suggests that testimony becomes a sacramental action that invites others into encounter. How does simply telling a story of good news function as more than just sharing information? What power might it hold?
4. Why is it significant that Jesus himself meets the women on the road, repeating the angel's instruction to "not be afraid" and to "go and tell," before they had even completed their task?

Application questions

1. The angel's message was, "He is not here; he has risen." [34:12] In what areas of your life or our world do you most need to be reminded that the power of death and despair does not have the final word?
2. The women left with "fear and great joy," a tension felt during life's transitions. [36:12] What current transition or situation in your life holds both fear and joy? How can the truth of the resurrection speak into that specific tension?
3. The good news persists in small, human ways, like a microphone in a hallway inviting people to share. [37:52] What is a simple, recent "good news" story from your own life that you could share with someone this week?
4. Being Easter people means living so that others find their good-news stories in one’s life. [46:24] What is one practical, concrete act of care, hospitality, or service you can do this week that would proclaim resurrection to someone else?
5. The Lord’s table gathers those with doubt and certainty alike. [48:21] How does remembering that all are welcome at God's table shape the way you offer welcome and grace to others in your community, especially those who are different from you?
6. The charge is to return to the ordinary world bearing the extraordinary claim that the good news is alive. [01:18:57] What does your "ordinary world" consist of (work, home, school, hobbies), and what would it look like to carry the joy of the resurrection into that specific place?