Live Streaming Church Sunday Service at King of Kings in Ann Arbor, MI

Devotional

Day 1: Easter is a story, not a feeling.

The narrative of Easter does not require a specific emotional state to be true. It is grounded in historical events that transcend our temporary moods. The women at the tomb experienced a complex mix of fear, confusion, and a flicker of joy. This story meets us in our own moments of perplexity and uncertainty, offering a hope that is not dependent on our circumstances. Its power lies in its reality, not in our ability to feel festive. [28:30]

Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you. (Matthew 28:7 NRSV)

Reflection: Where in your life right now does the hope of Easter feel distant, and how might remembering it as a true story, rather than a feeling, provide a different kind of comfort?

Day 2: Jesus finds us in our searching.

We often approach faith with the language of seeking and finding God. Yet the Easter story beautifully reverses this dynamic. While the women were actively looking for Jesus, it was He who ultimately found them. This is a profound comfort, assuring us that our faith is not dependent on our own ability to locate God in the fog of life. Our hope rests on the certainty of His initiative to come and meet us. [17:50]

Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. (Matthew 28:9 NRSV)

Reflection: When have you experienced a sense of being found by Jesus, especially in a moment when you felt lost or were searching for answers?

Day 3: God speaks through what we see and hear.

In a world filled with distant rumors and overwhelming news, God’s presence is often revealed in the immediate and the tangible. We are invited to ground our faith in the concrete realities before us: the ground beneath our feet, the people in our presence, and the small, hopeful signs of life we can actually witness. These are the things we are called to see, hear, and then go and tell others about. [31:33]

But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.” (Matthew 28:5-6 NRSV)

Reflection: What is one small, tangible sign of hope—something you can actually see or hear today—that points you toward the reality of resurrection life?

Day 4: Hope exists at the intersection of fear and joy.

The resurrection account does not present a simple, cheerful emotion. Instead, it holds together the profound tension of human experience—great fear and great joy can coexist. The women felt both, simultaneously, as they ran from the tomb. This acknowledges that our own hope is often mingled with anxiety or uncertainty, and that faith can walk honestly through both. [32:52]

So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. (Matthew 28:8 NRSV)

Reflection: Where in your life are fear and joy currently present together? How can you acknowledge both while still choosing to “run” with the good news you carry?

Day 5: We are sent to tell what we have witnessed.

The Easter story does not end at the empty tomb. It continues with a command: “Go and tell.” The experience of encountering the risen Christ is never meant to be kept private. We are sent into our relationships, communities, and daily routines as messengers. Our testimony is simply to share authentically what we ourselves have seen and heard of God’s work in our lives. [31:05]

Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” (Matthew 28:10 NRSV)

Reflection: Who is one person in your life with whom you could share a simple, honest word about where you are seeing God at work right now?

Sermon Summary

Ancient thanksgiving for baptism opens the day, invoking God as the one who was, is, and is to come and praising waters of creation and the water of life. The liturgy celebrates new creation in baptism, names Jesus’ life-giving death and resurrection, and calls the Spirit to break down dividing walls and anoint the faithful. A brief children’s story frames Easter as a search: the women look for Jesus, cannot find him, and then discover that Jesus finds them—an image of grace meeting human longing. The Gospel reading from Matthew recounts the earthquake, the angel who rolls back the stone, the guards felled by fear, and the angel’s command to go and see the empty tomb; the women flee with fear and great joy, meet the risen Jesus, and receive a charge to tell others.

The reflection reframes Easter as a story rather than a mood. Emotions in the narrative run from fear to perplexity to a brief surge of joy; the story names honest confusion and invites attention to what is actually seen and heard, rather than to smooth platitudes or seasonal cheer. Resurrection does not erase suffering; it places the cross and the empty tomb side by side, creating a space where hope and fear coexist. The practical invitation centers on embodied attention—notice the ground beneath the feet, the air in the lungs, the small signs of life—and carry those concrete glimpses of joy into speech and mission. Eucharistic prayers and communion root the resurrection in thanksgiving and remembrance, celebrating Christ’s broken body and poured-out blood as the source of new life. The liturgy closes with a commissioning prayer that asks for the Spirit to send these witnesses into the world to proclaim new life. The recurring charge is simple and exact: see, hear, and tell what has been encountered—the lived, bodily testimony that turns a story into a communal way of life.

Key Takeaways

1. Easter is a story, not feeling This claim separates event from emotion: resurrection stands as historical and theological truth, not merely an invitation to cheer. The narrative validates honest confusion and permits ambivalent feelings while insisting that true hope roots in witnessed reality. Holding the story steady frees disciples to name pain and still proclaim life. [28:30]
2. Fear and hope coexist The Gospel places fear and great joy in the same scene, showing that resurrection transforms suffering without erasing it. Living Christianly means inhabiting the tension between loss and the possibility of new life, not forcing premature resolution. That tension becomes the place where resilient faith forms. [32:52]
3. Jesus finds those who search The encounter shows initiative on the side of grace: seekers discover that the risen one meets them first. This upends any theology that makes faith purely a human achievement and invites honest longing into the rhythms of prayer and trust. It encourages bringing confusion forward rather than hiding it. [17:50]
4. Go tell what was seen The angel’s command centers testimony on concrete sight and sound rather than abstractions or rumors. Public witness anchors hope in particular encounters and forms communal memory and mission. Speaking plainly about what has been experienced sustains faith and shapes the church’s work in the world. [31:05]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[06:48] - Thanksgiving for Baptism
[16:33] - Children's Story: Looking for Jesus
[25:05] - Gospel Reading: The Empty Tomb
[26:27] - Reflection: Easter as Story

Bible Study 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 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.”

Observation questions

What specific emotions did the women experience at the tomb and after encountering Jesus?
What three-part command did the angel give to the women at the tomb?
How does the story describe the guards’ reaction to the angel’s appearance?
What physical action did the women take when they recognized the risen Jesus? [25:50]

Interpretation questions

Why do you think the Gospel writer includes both “fear and great joy” in the same sentence to describe the women’s response? [32:52]
What might it mean that resurrection hope doesn’t erase suffering but exists alongside it?
How does the angel’s instruction to “come, see” and “go, tell” shape the nature of Christian witness? [31:05]
In what ways does Jesus taking the initiative to meet the women redefine what it means to “find” him? [17:50]

Application questions

When have you experienced a time when fear and joy coexisted in your life? How did you navigate that tension?
The resurrection story values honest confusion over forced cheerfulness. Where in your life right now do you need permission to be honestly confused or sad, while still holding onto hope? [28:30]
Jesus finds those who are searching. What are you searching for right now? How might you become more aware of Jesus meeting you in that search?
The women were told to report what they had seen and heard. Who in your life needs to hear a simple, concrete story of hope from you? [31:05]
The sermon encouraged paying attention to “the ground beneath your feet, the air in your lungs.” What is one small, tangible sign of life or hope you can notice this week? [33:11]
How can carrying both the cross (suffering) and the empty tomb (hope) in your heart make your faith more resilient and honest?
In what practical way can you “go and tell” this week—not with abstract theology, but with your own experience of encountering grace?

Sermon Clips

53s

#EasterIsAStory

“It's not a story that commands us to be cheerful. It's not a story that commands us to feel a certain way. It's a story that tells us about fear and hope. And at the intersection of fear and hope is a cross and an empty tomb. That is the story that we share of Easter. It's not a story that we have to feel a certain way or be a certain thing. It's a story that we only need to experience today. To feel in your body if you can, the floor beneath your feet, the air in your lungs. When you look outside, you see little tiny glimpses of great joy even if it's 38 degrees.”

54s

#EasterNotAFeeling

“But Easter is not a feeling. Easter is a story. In our Easter story this morning, the emotions that the women felt weren't very Eastery. The emotions that the women felt if you look at the story, there's fear and then there's more fear, and then there's fear again, and then there's some joy, and then there's fear. Not very Eastery. But when you're looking at our world and trying to make sense of it, this Easter story has so much to teach us. That Easter is this story. It's not trying to feel one way or another.”

Ask a question about this sermon

King of Kings Lutheran Church of Ann Arbor This sermon · AI assistant

What does it mean that Easter is a story?

How do fear and hope intersect in the resurrection?

How does baptism signify new creation and life?

Live Streaming Church Sunday Service at King of Kings in Ann Arbor, MI

Devotional

Day 1: Easter is a story, not a feeling.

Day 2: Jesus finds us in our searching.

Day 3: God speaks through what we see and hear.

Day 4: Hope exists at the intersection of fear and joy.

Day 5: We are sent to tell what we have witnessed.

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Live Streaming Church Sunday Service at King of Kings in Ann Arbor, MI

Share