NPCOB Morning worship 04/05/2026- "Fear and Great Joy"- Dan Miller Easter Sunday

On Resurrection morning, two childhood stories open a reflection on how Christians tell and understand the Easter story. The account of the women at the tomb receives close attention, and the narrative comes alive in several retellings: as a comic children’s moment, as a dramatic resurrection scene, and even as a warm reunion like a hallmark plot. Each retelling highlights different emotions and expectations, but the core claim remains steady: God acted in Jesus to redeem people and the whole creation.

The text insists on the literal phrasing “with fear and great joy” as the women’s response, and it probes why both emotions belong together. Fear surfaces because angelic encounters unsettle human order, because the witnesses face a world turned upside down, and because rising from a grave defies normal experience. Joy accompanies that fear because the empty tomb announces life where death seemed final. The coexistence of trembling and elation reframes discipleship: honest frailty does not disqualify one from being an eyewitness to grace.

That tension between present struggle and promised fulfillment shapes a larger theological frame: the now and the not-yet. The resurrection functions as a decisive act that inaugurates cosmic redemption while leaving full transformation still coming. The text warns against turning Easter into a proof that human life smooths out immediately; instead it calls for steady attention to resurrection amid ordinary disappointments and moral failures.

Christ’s self-emptying, drawn from Philippians 2, anchors the practice of humble service. The narrative emphasizes that God’s saving work depends on divine action, not human merit. Witnesses receive this good news even when they tremble; the call sends them outward to testify. The liturgical season from Easter to Pentecost forms a disciplined time to rehearse this faith: confessing trust in what God has done rather than evaluating human performance. The piece closes with an embodied reading of Philippians, a communal affirmation of Christ’s humility and exaltation, and a benediction that prays for God’s presence and peace.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Fear and great joy coexist Fear and joy can hold together when the world breaks familiar patterns. The women at the tomb model an honest spirituality that allows trembling alongside praise. Accepting both emotions frees witness from the demand to appear wholly confident and opens the path to faithful testimony. This tension cultivates patience with personal weakness while remaining rooted in the risen Christ. [62:04]
• 2. Stories shape the meaning of faith How the resurrection is told changes how people live it out. Framing the event as drama, comedy, or reunion alters expectations about God and community. Attention to narrative invites careful listening to which parts of the story people emphasize and why. Reclaiming the gospel’s central claim prevents reduction to mere sentiment or simple moralism. [51:58]
• 3. Resurrection redeems the whole creation The resurrection does not merely fix individual souls; it declares God’s intention for the cosmos. Scripture presents Jesus’ rising as the start of a vast restoration that ultimately includes all things. Holding that scope resists privatized religion and encourages a hopeful patience for structural and material renewal. Belief in resurrection compels commitment beyond inward piety to the world God loves. [58:36]
• 4. Self-emptying humility precedes exaltation The Philippians passage links obedience and suffering with God’s overthrowing of power that elevates Christ. Humility functions not as self-abasement for its own sake but as the form through which God’s reconciling work comes. Practicing servanthood opens space for God to act and reorders expectations about influence and success. True exaltation arrives as gift, not human manipulation. [73:43]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [51:13] - Childhood stories and humor
• [55:28] - Different gospel tellings
• [56:03] - Dramatic resurrection scene
• [58:16] - Central point: God's redemption
• [61:32] - "Fear and great joy" examined
• [65:27] - Now and not-yet reality
• [68:35] - Easter is not about merit
• [71:34] - Easter-to-Pentecost focus
• [73:43] - Philippians reading and benediction

Bible reading: Matthew 28:1-8 (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.

Observation questions

1. According to the text, what two emotions did the women experience as they left the tomb?
2. What reasons were given for why an angelic encounter would cause fear? [01:03:57]
3. What is the core claim of the Easter story, regardless of how it is told? [58:16]
4. What does the self-emptying of Christ, as described in Philippians 2, involve? [01:13:43]

Interpretation questions

1. The women were sent to testify even though they were afraid. What does this suggest about the relationship between human frailty and being a witness to God's work? [01:08:35]
2. The resurrection is described as the start of a vast restoration for the whole creation, not just individual souls. How does this cosmic scope change the way one might view problems in the world?
3. The phrase "the now and the not-yet" describes a tension between present struggle and promised fulfillment. How might living in this tension be different from expecting all problems to disappear immediately after believing? [01:05:27]
4. Humility is presented not as self-abasement but as the form through which God’s reconciling work comes. How does this view of humility contrast with a worldly understanding of power and success?

Application questions

1. Fear and great joy can hold together. When has a situation in your own life left you feeling both afraid and joyful at the same time? What was that like?
2. The women were not chosen because they were perfect, but because they were there. [01:08:35] How does the truth that Easter is about what God has done, not our own merit, free you from performance anxiety in your spiritual life?
3. The call to focus on the resurrection story from Easter to Pentecost is a discipline to avoid being displaced by life's activities. [01:11:34] What is one practical way you can "rehearse" this faith daily to keep God's action in Jesus at the center?
4. The resurrection declares God’s intention to redeem the whole cosmos. How does this hope for all creation influence the way you interact with the environment, your community, or issues of justice?
5. Self-emptying humility makes space for God to work. [01:00:55] Where is one relationship or situation in your life where you need to let go of "your way" to create space for God's way to work?
6. Witnesses receive the good news even when they tremble. [01:08:59] What is one area where fear holds you back from sharing hope with others, and how can the women's example encourage you?