It’s the Eighth Day | Luke 24:1-12 | Resurrection Sunday
When we experience loss, we generally know what to expect. Since the banishment of our first parents from the Garden, death has reigned with a predictable, heavy rhythm. We work for six days, we rest on the seventh, and the cycle repeats—until, one day, it stops.
But as we see in Luke 24, the women who went to Jesus' tomb to perform the expected rituals of death found something earth-shattering. The stone was rolled away, and the body was gone.
Victory Over the Grave | True Immortality in a Digital Age
In recent months, many of my conversations have centered on a discussion on what it means to be human in our modern times. We live in a time of total connectivity, yet it feels like we are more disconnected than ever from one another and from our humanity. These conversations have driven me to read several books that explore this idea.
One thing I have seen in books, online articles, and even social media posts is the obsession with trying to use technology to cheat death. From mechanically altering the human body to the idea of uploading one's consciousness from a fragile human frame, the suggestion of achieving immortality or extended earthly existence is quite popular, particularly among the very rich. Some tech billionaires have dropped unbelievable sums of money into the idea.
What Will You Do with the Empty Tomb? | Mark 16:1-8 | 5 Devotions on the Resurrection
Mark 16:1–8 ends not with rejoicing, but with trembling and silence. Yet in that abrupt ending, we find a powerful invitation—a question that presses into every heart: How will you respond to the resurrection of Jesus? This five-day devotional series builds on the message from Resurrection Sunday and invites you to reflect more deeply on the victory of Christ and the urgency of the gospel.
What Will You Do with the Empty Tomb? | Mark 16:1-8 | The Story Isn't Over
Why would Mark end his Gospel with silence and fear? In this Resurrection Sunday meditation from Mark 16:1–8, Pastor Mark explores how the earliest and most reliable manuscripts leave us with the women fleeing the tomb in astonishment. Rather than tying a bow on the story, Mark presses the question onto the reader: What will you do with the empty tomb?
Devotions: From Mourning to Mission
Day 1: The Empty Tomb and the Unexpected Victory
Bible Reading: John 20:1-10
Today, we reflect on the empty tomb's significance, a powerful symbol of Jesus' victory over death. Mary Magdalene and the disciples' disbelief and confusion when they found the tomb empty echoes our own struggles with faith in the face of the unexpected.
Devotional: As we read about the disciples' early morning discovery, let's consider the times when God has surprised us with hope amidst despair. How does the reality of the resurrection shape your understanding of God's power and promise in your life?
Resurrection Sunday 2024: From Mourning to Mission
Easter is unexpected. The resurrection is unexpected. The truth of what we celebrate this morning, what we remember, it's familiar to us and so I think we struggle to fully wrap our minds around how extraordinary the story is. But put yourself in the story and as you do this, you can see just how amazing the resurrection is. Because the hopes that the followers of Jesus had for who he was and who he was going to be, they were dashed.