Tomorrow is Easter. Last night we sat in dark silence as we pondered the last hours of Jesus’ life. The flogging. The cries of the crowd to “crucify him.” The journey to Golgotha. The pounding of the nails into the hands and feet. The taunts of the soldiers. And “it is finished.” We left last night with Jesus in the tomb. It might seem Holy Week is over.

Christians know what tomorrow brings – resurrection. And that lets us breathe a sigh of relief after the weighty remembrance of Good Friday. Before we jump to Easter Sunday, how are you spending today? Ball games? Shopping? Yard work? Getting ready for the family gathering? Is Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday even significant?

On that first Saturday after Jesus’ crucifixion, Jesus’ followers did not have the liberty of leaving Jesus in the tomb on Friday and going about their business on Saturday knowing what Sunday would bring.

On that first Saturday, the day after the crucifixion, I imagine Peter grappling with crushing guilt over his denial of Christ the day before. Buried under crippling self-condemnation thinking of all the times he had spoken rashly and brashly and then when it came time to live up to the faith he proclaimed, he failed. Maybe he was mired in disillusionment or discouragement. What good am I? I abandoned my best friend. Will anyone ever trust me again? The expectations of what he thought life was going to be like – dashed – buried in the tomb with Jesus.

I image Mary Magdelene silently questioning her worth and identity. Doubting her healing. Fearing her acceptance. We don’t know much about her. The only biblical fact is that Jesus healed her of 7 demons. But this one passing statement we find in Luke’s gospel might lend light to her thoughts on this Saturday.

Demon-possessed people were outcasts of society, driven away, isolated. They were often violent, needing restraints. Some were physically in bondage, blind, mute, or psychologically tormented. We don’t know what Mary’s specific ailment was. But we can know that her life as a demon-possessed woman was hard, lonely, and left wounds.

When Jesus healed her, he did more than free her from the demons. He embraced her into community. He called her worthy and valuable.

But on that Saturday, the person who had worked this miracle in her life was dead. What doubts and despair might have been crowding her thinking? Will the demons come again? Will I go back to being who I was before? Will I be alone? Isolated? Will the women I have become friends with shun me now? Am I no longer worthy? Will anyone consider me valuable?

Saturday living is full of guilt, shame, and regrets. It’s the weight of harbored anger, bitterness, or unforgiveness. It’s the place of questioning our purpose, identity, or value when life events have left us reeling. It’s feeling as if our spirits have been crushed by tragedy, illness, deaths, and broken relationships.

Saturday living is void of hope and denies the power of the resurrection. The promise of Easter calls us out of Saturday living.

On that first Easter morning, when Mary arrived, the stone was moved, the entrance to the tomb was open, and she encountered angels with four important messages.

Don’t be afraid.

The angels beckoned Mary forward. It’s okay, come on – bring all your baggage. Bring all of your doubt, all the hurt, all the questions, all the worry, all the vulnerable and wounded pieces. Bring it all here to the tomb.

Who are you looking for?

Jesus isn’t here – they said. He has risen. He conquered death. Just like he said he would. His Word is trustworthy and true.

Come and See.

The angels invited Mary in to see for herself. Come. Witness the reality of God’s resurrection power.

The stone wasn’t moved so Jesus could get out. It was moved so Mary, with all of her fears and doubts, could come in and see he wasn’t there. It was moved so Peter, with his guilt and shame and resignation, could come and see he wasn’t there. It was moved so you and I can come and see – with whatever might be holding us in Saturday – that Jesus isn’t there. He is risen.

The empty tomb is God’s response to Saturday living. It’s like he’s saying – If I can do this – raise Jesus from the dead, what makes you think I can’t bring my life into your dead places? The resurrection is proof of what God can and wants to do in our lives.

The same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us. If we aren’t experiencing this power in our lives, it’s because we aren’t claiming it. We aren’t bringing our stuff to the tomb. We aren’t responding to the invitation to come and see the tomb is empty. Because everything changes when we encounter and experience the resurrection power of God.

Between the four gospels, Mary is mentioned by name 12 times in the resurrection accounts, more than any other person. Women were not considered reliable witnesses so it is astonishing that all four gospel writers identify Mary as the first witness to the risen Christ – giving her credit for being the one who told the disciples. Scholars infer that Mary became a woman of prominence, of position, and influence. She left her Saturday living behind to become a leader in the early faith community.

Peter baptized the very first Gentiles into the body of Christ and was instrumental in establishing Christianity across the world. We celebrate Easter in large part because Peter left his Saturday living behind.

As we stand at the empty tomb Easter morning and hear the same invitation to leave our fear behind, to come and see he is not here, he is risen – what will our response be?

Coming to the tomb and finding it empty is not a once a year thing. Every single time we come up against something in our lives that is still Saturday living we are invited to bring it to the tomb, find it empty, and experience God’s resurrection power.

Go and Tell.

The angels instructed Mary to go and tell the disciples. Share about the resurrection power so that they can come and see for themselves. The tomb is empty.

And she did. Mary went and told. Peter went and told. Paul went and told.

How have you experienced the resurrection power of God in your life? How has his resurrection power made you more than a conqueror over your doubts, your despair or discouragement, your defeated areas, or your disillusionment? How are you different today because you have seen the empty tomb and encountered the risen Christ? Because – oh my goodness – we should be different.

I have stories of God’s power at work in my life. So do you.

Our hurting world needs us to share our stories of how God breathed his life into our dead places. We are his earthly evidence of the power of the resurrection.

Our stories are the invitation to someone else.

Don’t be afraid,

Come and See – the tomb is empty.

He is not here

Jesus has risen – Just as He Said He Would!!

Hallelujah and Amen!