FPCA 11:15am April 5, 2026 Easter Sunday Online Worship

Matthew’s account of the resurrection bursts with action and theological clarity: two grieving women return to the tomb and witness an earthquake, an angel, the rolling away of the stone, and Roman guards struck down with fear. The narrative upends worldly power and certainties—Rome’s might proves powerless before God’s life-giving act, and death loses its finality as the tomb stands empty. The angel commands bold obedience: do not fear, go and tell. The women obey, become the first proclaimers of the risen King, and encounter Jesus on the way, who greets them with joy and commissions the disciples to meet him in Galilee.

This account insists that resurrection changes everything. Love, not empire or despair, governs the world; God’s authority breaks the chains of death and transforms mourning into mission. The risen One promises presence in ordinary places—home, work, grief, and joy—so that encounter with God does not only belong to extraordinary moments but saturates daily life. The response requires movement: acknowledgment of grief, trust in God’s overturning power, and active obedience to bear witness to the living Christ.

The gathered community remembers baptism as an outward sign of God’s saving grace and worships with thankfulness, affirming faith as good news that sounds like welcome and feels like home. The prayers lift global conflicts and local needs, asking for peace, healing, and strength for those who suffer. The prayerful life and the Lord’s Prayer unite the church’s witness with daily dependence on God. The closing charge sends the community into the world in hope: love and serve one another, trusting that God accompanies each step and works within believers to accomplish what has been asked. The resurrection summons the faithful to live as people transformed by love—steady in hope, active in mercy, and confident that all has been irrevocably changed through Christ’s rising.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Love overturns fear and death The resurrection demonstrates that divine love decisively displaces fear, dismantles idols of power, and renders death a defeated enemy. When the stone rolls away, the logic of empire and despair collapses before God’s life-giving action; grief remains real, but it now exists within the frame of a new, redemptive future. This truth invites a reorientation of hope and courage in the face of life’s darkest moments. [34:14]
• 2. Obedience follows witnessed resurrection Seeing—or being confronted by—God’s action produces movement: the angel commands, and the women move from fear into proclamation. Obedience here does not spring from abstract duty but from the conviction that reality has changed and demands a public response. This obedience redefines witness as the faithful translation of encounter into mission. [32:30]
• 3. God meets in ordinary life The risen Christ promises presence “in Galilee”—in the routines, relationships, and sorrows that constitute daily living. Encounter with God therefore emerges not only on mountaintops or in miracles but at kitchen tables, workplaces, and hospital beds. This presence reframes ordinary moments as loci of divine meeting and ministry. [34:37]
• 4. Lowly bearers become first witnesses The first heralds of the resurrection are grieving women—socially marginalized yet entrusted with the gospel’s first proclamation. Their role subverts human hierarchies and emphasizes that vulnerability and faithfulness, not status, qualify one for mission. This reality challenges communities to recognize and honor unexpected voices in the work of proclamation. [32:57]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [08:14] - Announcements & Welcome
• [09:46] - Baptism Preparation
• [10:12] - Baptism and Thanksgiving
• [25:28] - Scripture Reading: Matthew 28:1-10
• [26:00] - Angel, Earthquake, and Stone Rolled Back
• [26:54] - Command to Go Tell
• [27:18] - Jesus Appears to the Women
• [27:48] - Matthew’s Bold Portrait
• [31:45] - God’s Power Overcomes
• [32:30] - Obedience and Witness
• [34:37] - Presence in Everyday Life
• [35:36] - Affirmation of Faith
• [39:50] - Prayers & Intercessions
• [44:23] - The Lord’s Prayer
• [53:48] - Benediction & Commission

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. What specific events happened at the tomb that demonstrated God’s power over human authority and death?
2. What two commands did the angel give to the women and what was their immediate response? [32:30]
3. Who were the first people commissioned to tell the news of the resurrection and why is that significant? [32:57]
4. Where did Jesus say he would meet his disciples after his resurrection? [33:58]

Interpretation questions

1. The Roman guards were rendered powerless and "like dead men." What does this event reveal about the true source of power in the world?
2. The women were told to go to Galilee, the place where their ordinary lives happened. Why would Jesus choose to meet them there instead of at the spectacular site of the empty tomb?
3. The women experienced both "fear and great joy" as they left the tomb. How can these two emotions coexist in a person who has witnessed God’s power?
4. How does the resurrection change the finality of grief and despair, even though those feelings remain real?

Application questions

1. The resurrection upends worldly power and certainties. [34:14] What is one area in your life or in the world right now that feels hopeless or final, and how can the truth of the empty tomb change your perspective on it?
2. The first witnesses were given a command: “Go and tell.” [32:30] Who is one person in your ordinary life that you can “go and tell” about the hope you have in Christ?
3. Jesus promises to meet his followers in Galilee—in the ordinary places of home, work, and daily routines. [34:37] Where is your “Galilee” and how can you become more aware of God’s presence meeting you there this week?
4. The women moved from grief to mission. [33:15] When you experience personal sorrow or grief, what is one practical step you can take to move toward trusting God’s power and joining his mission?
5. The resurrection demonstrates that love, not fear, is the governing force of the world. [34:24] What is one decision you are facing this week where you can choose to act out of love and hope rather than fear?
6. The women were considered lowly and unexpected messengers. [32:57] Has God ever used an unexpected person or circumstance to deliver a message of hope to you? How can this encourage you to see him at work in surprising ways?