Empty Tombs We Do Not Yet Know

Easter unfolds as both proclamation and patient discovery: an empty tomb already present even when grief still grips those who loved Jesus. The narrative begins with Mary Magdalene and the other Mary returning to anoint a body and encountering absence instead—an absence that the hearers are invited to treat not as a solved puzzle but as the beginning of a slow, disorienting revelation. Resurrection appears strange and takes time to be recognized; disciples on the road to Emmaus and those on the shore only name Jesus after signs break open their understanding. The text insists that resurrection works in hidden ways, like life stirring beneath winter soil: strength and courage surface where none seemed possible.

Concrete examples give this hope shape. A young widow at a funeral stands and speaks with unexpected bravery; a predominantly immigrant congregation shares food and joy amid fear; a hospital church in Gaza reclaims its worship space after months of crisis. Each of these episodes counts as an “empty tomb”—a place where death, loss, or destruction yielded a glimmer of new life. The congregation receives an invitation to hold both sorrow and hope together, to allow grief its time while trusting that unseen renewals may already be at work.

Liturgy and sacrament frame this hope with vows and practice. Baptismal renewal summons renunciations, commitments to resist evil, and concrete responsibilities to love and seek justice. The Eucharistic remembrance reiterates the paschal mystery: burial with Christ, rising with Christ, and ongoing formation into a life of service. Finally, practical invitations—to generosity, to fellowship, to truth-telling—anchor resurrection in everyday decisions. The blessing sends worshippers toward risk for the sake of the good, to hold truth and love as the measures by which the world might become more life-giving.

---

Key Takeaways

• 1. Empty tombs exist unseen Resurrection often arrives where eyes do not first look; signs of new life can precede human awareness. Cultivating a posture of expectant attention—rather than impatience or forced certainty—opens persons to witness how God is already at work in surprising places. This steadies hope through suffering because hope becomes practice, not merely a future wish. [36:59]
• 2. Grief and resurrection coexist Sorrow does not cancel the reality of new life; grief can be the soil in which resurrection begins to grow. Embracing the discomfort of mourning allows time for perception to change, for recognition to arrive in small, disorienting moments. Holding both truthfully prevents premature platitudes and fosters authentic spiritual maturation. [35:27]
• 3. Communities reveal hidden hope Neighboring churches, refugee communities, and damaged institutions often model resurrection by feeding, reclaiming, and refusing despair. Observing these communal acts reorients faith from abstract doctrine to embodied solidarity and mutual care. Investing in local relationships creates spaces where renewal can surface even amid systemic brokenness. [38:44]
• 4. Baptism requires renewed vows Baptismal renewal frames resurrection as commitment: renouncing evil, serving all persons, and striving for justice. These vows transform private conviction into public practice and shape discipleship as persistent, risk-taking fidelity. Repeating these promises roots hope in concrete moral behavior rather than sentimental feeling. [43:51]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [13:01] - Service logistics and bulletin
• [19:50] - Opening prayers and confession
• [21:56] - Easter collect and affirmation
• [33:21] - Marys at the tomb
• [36:25] - Resurrection unfolds slowly
• [37:23] - Stories of hidden empty tombs
• [38:44] - Global examples of hope
• [43:51] - Baptismal renewal vows
• [63:15] - Eucharist: remembrance and promise
• [92:58] - Blessing and dismissal

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.”

Luke 24:13-35 (ESV)
That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Observation questions

1. What were the initial emotions and reactions of the women who first discovered the empty tomb in Matthew 28?
2. In the story from Luke 24, what prevented the two disciples from recognizing Jesus as he walked with them?
3. What specific action finally caused the disciples' eyes to be opened and recognize Jesus? [36:25]
4. What are some of the "empty tombs"—places where new life appeared amidst suffering—that were described as examples? [37:23] [38:44] [40:34]

Interpretation questions

1. Why do you think resurrection often unfolds slowly and is confusing at first, rather than being immediately clear and obvious?
2. The sermon described how grief and the reality of new life can exist at the same time. [35:27] How does the story of the women at the tomb illustrate this tension between sorrow and hope?
3. What does the experience of the disciples on the road to Emmaus teach us about how Jesus reveals himself to people who are walking through disappointment and confusion?
4. How can communities, like the church in Cuba or the hospital in Gaza, reveal signs of resurrection hope even in the middle of great hardship? [39:50] [40:57]

Application questions

1. Resurrection often arrives where eyes do not first look; signs of new life can precede human awareness. [36:59] Where in your life or in the world around you are you being invited to look for "empty tombs"—glimmers of God's new life—that you might be missing right now?
2. Sorrow does not cancel the reality of new life; grief can be the soil in which resurrection begins to grow. [35:27] What is a current area of grief or pain you are holding? How can you practice holding that grief while also remaining open to the possibility of new life stirring beneath the surface?
3. Neighboring churches, refugee communities, and damaged institutions often model resurrection by feeding, reclaiming, and refusing despair. [38:44] Who in your local community is embodying this kind of hope through practical action? How can you support or learn from them?
4. Baptismal renewal frames resurrection as commitment: renouncing evil, serving all persons, and striving for justice. [43:51] What is one specific, practical way you can live out your baptismal vows this week—resisting an evil, loving a neighbor, or working for justice?
5. God works miracles and empties tombs all over the world in big and small ways that we cannot see. [42:37] How does this truth change the way you face news headlines or personal struggles that tempt you toward despair?
6. The blessing sends worshippers toward risk for the sake of the good. [01:32:58] What is one "risk for the sake of the good" that you feel nudged to take—a step toward truth-telling, reconciliation, or generosity that feels a bit scary?