Easter Triumph - April 5, 2026

On Easter morning the gospel of Matthew yields a distinct portrait: women arrive at the tomb not primarily to prepare a body but to see. That simple verb—see—drives the narrative. The women come with attentive faith, witness an empty tomb, encounter angels and the risen Christ, and respond with a mixture of fear and exhilaration. Seeing becomes believing, and belief immediately issues in mission: go and tell. Matthew frames resurrection not as a private consolation but as a visible event that calls witnesses to move outward.

The account highlights two paired verbs—see and tell—and treats Galilee as significant. Galilee appears as a forgotten, rural place outside centers of power; yet it becomes the scene where the risen Lord reappears and where disciples must be found. The motion away from Jerusalem toward the margins signals that resurrection life will ripple into unexpected places. The women hold on, but the risen One sends them to release their grasp and to carry the story into ordinary, overlooked spaces.

An image of childhood show-and-tell clarifies the gospel’s logic: seeing excites; telling transmits. The women’s experience resembles a preschooler eager both to be shown something loved and to explain why it matters. That metaphor presses believers to recover wonder, to receive perspective from others, and to testify about what reshapes life. Theological reflection in the account extends this into daily practice: resurrection names the capacity to rise again—small recoveries, changed minds, renewed relationships—ordinary resurrections that interrupt despair.

Reading Matthew beside sociology and pastoral reflection connects the empty tomb to social imagination. Ordinary resurrections invite seeing those ignored and trusting in change where hope seems collapsed. The faithful are described as being “in the resurrection business”: having seen, they now go with testimony, conviction, and the expectation that love and new life can overturn loss. The closing prayer gathers these threads, urging that the knowledge of an empty tomb take root so sight becomes proclamation and so the risen Christ’s nearness shapes how life is lived and shared.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Seeing shapes a grounded, living hope The act of seeing in Matthew’s account anchors faith in witnessed reality rather than mere doctrine. When attention fixes on the empty tomb and on the risen presence, hope becomes concrete: it reorients fear into expectant awe and grounds future action in what has been observed. This kind of sight trains the heart to recognize resurrection in small, ordinary reversals of loss. [43:20]
• 2. Telling multiplies the resurrection's joy Proclamation follows perception: the gospel insists that the witness must go and tell the others what was seen. Speech here bears communal power, converting private exhilaration into public hope and creating a chain of testimony that sustains belief across margins and generations. The imperative to tell makes resurrection contagious and civic. [46:02]
• 3. Live expecting ordinary daily resurrections Resurrection language covers more than one cosmic event; it names the recurring rising up from despair, the small restorations of relationship and meaning. Anticipating these ordinaries cultivates resilience—an attentiveness to moments where life is renewed and the courage to act so such moments multiply. This expectation reshapes moral imagination toward repair and patience. [55:21]
• 4. Change perspective; believe in possibility The gospel calls for a shift in vision: to see the overlooked, to imagine change for those written off, and to hold open the possibility that situations can be transformed. Such perspective-taking breaks cycles of fatalism and opens pathways for reconciliation, creative service, and unexpected flourishing in forgotten places. [51:54]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [32:59] - Announcements and Thanks
• [41:03] - Gospel Parallels and Matthew's Focus
• [43:20] - Women Came to See
• [45:50] - Seeing and Telling Motif
• [47:26] - Show-and-Tell Analogy
• [51:34] - Living Awaiting Resurrections
• [53:26] - Ordinary Resurrections & Kozol
• [56:48] - Resurrection Business: Go and Tell
• [63:08] - Prayer and 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. Behold, 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 was the specific intention of the women when they went to the tomb that morning?
2. What two emotions did the women experience after seeing the empty tomb and hearing the angel's message?
3. What two specific actions are the women instructed to do by the angel and then by Jesus?
4. Where does Jesus tell his followers they will see him again? [46:20]

Interpretation questions

1. Why is the location of Galilee significant, and what does it mean that Jesus chose to appear there instead of in Jerusalem? [46:20]
2. The women responded with a mixture of "fear and great joy." What is the difference between a fear that paralyzes and a fear that is mixed with exhilaration and awe?
3. The sermon described resurrection as not just a one-time event but also "the capacity to rise again." What are some examples of these "ordinary resurrections" in daily life? [55:21]
4. How does the act of "seeing" first help to ground and create a belief that is then eager to "tell" others?

Application questions

1. When was the last time you experienced a small, "ordinary resurrection"—a moment of recovery, a changed mind, or a renewed relationship that interrupted despair? [55:21]
2. The women were sent to Galilee, a forgotten place. Who are the "overlooked" people in your community or life that you feel called to see with new eyes and share hope with? [54:48]
3. The sermon compared the experience to a child's show-and-tell, where seeing something exciting leads to telling. What is one thing you have "seen" or experienced of God's love that you feel excited to "tell" someone about this week? [48:20]
4. How can you practice "living awaiting resurrections"—choosing to believe that change is possible, even in a situation or relationship that feels hopeless? [52:09]
5. What is one practical way you can "go and tell" this week—sharing a message of hope through a simple act of kindness, an encouraging word, or an invitation? [56:48]
6. The women gained a new perspective that changed them. Who is someone in your life that could offer you a gift of perspective if you took the time to truly listen to them? [50:36]