St. Paul's Woodstock NB - April 5, 2026 with Rev. Shirley DeMerchant

Easter morning centers on the empty tomb and the risen Christ as the decisive foundation of Christian faith. The resurrection proves victory over sin and death, offers present abundant life and future hope, and creates a clear dividing line between mere sentiment and historic claim. Statistical data highlights a widespread uncertainty about the resurrection: only a minority of Canadians affirm it, and many Christians seldom read Scripture, which explains both disbelief and the urgent opportunity for proclamation. The empty tomb appears as an unexpected fact: Jesus’ closest followers did not expect resurrection, and the earliest witnesses reacted with confusion, grief, and then astonished joy—responses that strengthen the credibility of the event rather than undermine it.

Mary Magdalene emerges as the pivotal first witness. Previously healed and a financial supporter of the movement, she stands at the tomb, weeps, meets the risen Lord, and receives a direct commission to tell the other disciples. That a woman occupies the primary witness role undercuts any notion of an invented story crafted for social advantage, since female testimony carried little weight in that culture. Early apostolic testimony and the Acts narratives show how eyewitness experience—people who ate and drank with the risen Jesus—became the driving force for conversion across social and ethnic boundaries, even extending to Gentile households.

Historical accounts across church history portray communities transformed by belief in the risen Lord: worship at funerals, courage in persecution, and sacrificial care for the poor attest to the resurrection’s practical effects. Personal testimony becomes central: conviction grows only after hearing and receiving the witness, and living faith proves infectious. The sermon issues a pastoral challenge to speak plainly about the resurrection in ordinary conversations, to let lives reflect the hope proclaimed, and to use hymns, testimony, and acts of charity as credible witnesses. Worship flows into prayer, confession, the creed, sacrificial giving, and sending—calling every believer to embody and communicate the reality of the risen Christ in word and deed.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Resurrection: foundation of Christian faith The resurrection stands not as optional theology but as the single historical event that validates forgiveness, hope, and eternal life. Without its reality, the claims about Jesus’ victory over sin collapse and spiritual practices lose their anchor. Christians must treat the resurrection as the hinge on which all discipleship turns, allowing it to reorder fear, ethics, and hope. [12:51]
• 2. The empty tomb is surprising evidence Surprise functions as a form of credibility: friends who expected no rising did not invent a triumphal story. The initial confusion, weeping, and misrecognition at the tomb testify to an event that shocked expectations rather than fit neatly into them. Such dissonance invites careful attention to the facts rather than easy dismissal. [36:39]
• 3. Mary Magdalene: first witness and messenger Mary’s witness disrupts cultural assumptions and highlights the resurrection’s countercultural power: a woman, once troubled and now healed, receives the first commission to proclaim life. Her role underscores how God elevates unlikely agents to bear the decisive testimony, and it models faithful witness from a place of transformation. Belief often begins where restoration meets testimony. [44:28]
• 4. Tell the story; live the witness Hearing precedes belief, and belief ripens into proclamation and lifestyle. Simple, honest accounts of the empty tomb paired with visible mercy and perseverance open doors for seekers who long for life beyond death. Practice telling what happened and let conduct reinforce the claim so the resurrection becomes both spoken truth and embodied reality. [53:21]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [10:51] - Easter Greeting & Announcements
• [12:51] - Resurrection: Foundation of Faith
• [18:23] - Worship, Prayer, and Confession
• [30:11] - Creed Reading & National Statistics
• [36:39] - The Empty Tomb and First Reactions
• [41:51] - Mary Magdalene: Healed and Commissioned
• [46:47] - Witnesses and the Early Church
• [53:21] - Practical Witness: How to Share
• [58:10] - "He Lives": Song as Testimony
• [63:21] - Offering, Prayer, and Benediction

Bible reading
John 20:1–18 (ESV)
*Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes. But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.*

Observation questions

1. What was Mary Magdalene’s first reaction when she saw the empty tomb?
2. How did Peter and John respond when they saw the empty tomb?
3. Who did Mary mistake Jesus for when she first saw him after his resurrection?
4. What specific instruction did Jesus give Mary after he revealed himself to her? [44:28]

Interpretation questions

1. Why might the initial reactions of confusion, grief, and disbelief from Jesus’ closest followers actually strengthen the credibility of the resurrection account? [36:39]
2. In a culture where a woman’s testimony was not considered legally valid, what does it signify that Jesus chose Mary Magdalene as the first witness and messenger of his resurrection? [38:45]
3. How does the resurrection of Jesus serve as the foundation for Christian hope, both in the present life and in the face of death? [12:51]
4. What does the transformation in Mary’s emotional state—from weeping to proclaiming “I have seen the Lord”—reveal about the personal impact of encountering the risen Christ?

Application questions

1. The resurrection is not just a historical event but the foundation of daily hope. How does believing Jesus is alive change the way you face fear, failure, or grief today?
2. Mary was commissioned to tell others the good news. Who in your life needs to hear that Jesus is alive, and how can you share this hope with them in a simple, personal way this week? [53:21]
3. Many people around us are uncertain about life after death or the truth of the resurrection. How can your words and actions—like joy in hardship or compassion for others—become a believable witness to the hope you have? [52:59]
4. The empty tomb was a surprise to everyone. When has God surprised you by showing up in a way you didn’t expect? How did that experience strengthen your faith?
5. Some find it hard to believe the resurrection really happened. What is one piece of evidence or personal experience that helps you trust that Jesus rose from the dead?
6. The early Christians were known for how they faced death with hope and celebrated even at funerals. How can we, as a community, better reflect resurrection hope in the way we grieve and support others in loss? [51:23]
7. Jesus’ resurrection means forgiveness and new life are available to all. Is there an area in your life where you need to experience his restoring power or freedom today?