April 5, 2026, Easter Sunday
Matthew 28:1-10
Introduction
Before we get into this Easter sermon, I first want to ask… How many of you remember my Easter sermon from last year? No one? Huh. Well, that’s a bit disappointing to see it wasn’t more memorable. I thought for sure someone would at least remember the part of last year’s Easter sermon where I talked about the translation of a particular Greek word Luke uses that describes the “delirious and nonsensical babbling of a very ill person.” But admittedly, I am relieved no one remembers last year’s Easter sermon because now you won’t realize I am repeating myself from last year. He is not here, for he has been raised.
That’s what I said to you last Easter, the one before that, and the one before that. It’s what I’ve said to you for the last sixteen Easters. Every year it’s the same. It never changes. And I got nothing new to say to you today.
Every year we come to Easter and tell the same old story. We’ve been repeating ourselves for two thousand years. We know how the story ends as soon as it begins. We’ve heard it all before. And that just may be the best thing I can say to you today. It means that you can count on the Easter story. It’s trustworthy, consistent, and here to stay. Regardless of who you are, what has and has not happened in your life, what you’ve done and left undone, or what you do and do not believe, the story is true for you today.
And that is why I’m repeating what I said last year. Because I used to come to Easter believing I had to say something profound, earthshaking, and deeply theological. And sure, I still want to do that, but as the years go by, I realize more and more the best message so say and hear this same, timeless message: “He is not here; for he has been raised.”
I want to hear the same old story. I want to see in my minds eye the large stone rolled away when the women arrive to tend to Jesus’ body. I want to imagine what the rest of the Disciples felt when they were told, “someone has taken our Lord.” I want to put myself in the shoes of those Roman soldiers who had been guarding the tomb when all this went down, and how they probably were freaking out because they knew no one was going to believe their excuse as to how they let Jesus’ “dead body” escape them. I want to imagine the foot race Peter and John had back to the tomb, and how John beat him there—and probably never let Peter forget it. I want to hear again… experience again… the power of Jesus’ resurrection.
And it’s not because I think the story has changed since last year. I want to hear it again because I have changed, my life has changed, the world has changed over the last year. And some years are harder than others. And this is true for each of us.
And because so much has changed and happened in the last year I want to be reminded—I need to be reminded— that Easter is not only still true, but that Easter is still happening
Move 1
I have another question for you. Why did the angel roll back the stone from the tomb? And yes, I know that sounds like a “Why did the chicken cross the road?” kind of question, so let me give you a hint. It was not so Jesus could get out.
In Mark, Luke, and John the stone has already been removed when the women arrive. But in Matthew the stone is not rolled back until after the women arrive. And now, before you start to worry about inconsistencies, understand the Gospel writers are writing their accounts of the resurrection, and the stone is rolled away in each one. Matthew simply chooses to emphasize its movement. And because he does, we should pay attention, and ask… What’s Matthew telling us?
The women saw Jesus die, they saw him placed in the tomb, and they saw “a great stone” rolled in front of the opening to the tomb. And now, in today’s Gospel, they find the tomb exactly as they saw it on Good Friday. Nothing has changed. Nothing has happened.
And this is something to pay attention to because sometimes that’s how life looks to us. So if you’ve ever felt stuck, if you’ve ever wondered whether God is doing anything in your life, this story is for you because Easter is still happening.
The angel rolled back the stone not so Jesus could get out, the angel rolled back the stone so the women could see in, so they could see he had been raised and is not there. And this is something to pay attention to because it means resurrection was already happening behind the “great stone” of their life. It means new life is always, and already, taking place, even when we don’t see it, everywhere we don’t expect it, and any place we don’t think it can. Easter is still happening.
And that’s why today we fill the church with alleluias, lilies, hymns, candles, white vestments, and unreserved beauty. They don’t set this place and day apart from all other places and days. Rather, they point to and reveal that resurrection has already happened and is always happening in all other places and days. Easter is still happening.
Move 2
The first day of resurrection, that sparked all the other days of resurrection, happened “as the first day of the week was dawning.” Light was pushing back the dim night. Warmth was returning. A new day was beginning. So if you’ve ever needed light and warmth to return to your life, if you’ve ever needed a second chance and the possibilities a new day offers, this story is for you because Easter is still happening.
“Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.” They were there when Jesus died and was laid in the tomb. So if you’ve ever had your heart broken by loss and laid someone or something you loved in a tomb, this story is for you because Easter is still happening.
“Suddenly there was a great earthquake” and “an angel of the Lord rolled back the stone” from the tomb and said, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised.” So if you’ve ever needed some earthshaking Good News, if you’ve ever needed hope, if you’ve ever lived as if death had the final word, this story is for you because Easter is still happening.
“He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him,” is the angel’s message for the women. Galilee is where Jesus and the Disciples are from— it’s their home. So if you’ve ever struggled to find Jesus, if you have ever wondered where he is, if you’ve ever thought that Easter is an “eggstravaganza” and has nothing to do with your ordinary everyday life, this story is for you because Easter is still happening.
Move 3
So on this Easter Sunday let me ask you this… Where do you expect to see Jesus? Here in Stow, Munroe Falls, Hudson, Tallmadge, Cuyahoga Falls? How about in your home? Among family and friends?
Do you expect to see Jesus in strangers, foreigners, the refugee, and those who are different from you?
Do you expect to see Jesus in the midst of suffering and death? In the joys and celebrations of life?
Do you expect to see Jesus in times of insight and learning? In relationships? In silence and stillness?
Do you expect to see Jesus in the attempts to live a good life? In the failings to live a good life? In the pain and heartbreak of life? In the struggle to rebuild a relationship? In your marriage? In the challenges of parenting? In becoming the parent and caretaker of your own mother or father? In the midst of illness? Old age?
Do you expect to see Jesus in good conversation and laughter? In intimacy and vulnerability with another?
I hope and pray the answer to all of these questions and places is “Yes.” I hope and pray it’s yes because those, and a thousand other places, are where resurrection is… because Easter is still happening.
Conclusion
“He is not here, for he has been raised.” That’s what I said to you last Easter, the one before that, and the ne before that. It’s what I’ve said to you for the last sixteen Easters. Every year it’s the same. It never changes. We’ve been repeating ourselves for two thousand years. We know how the story ends as soon as it begins.
But saying, “He is not here, for he has been raised” really is the best thing I can say to you today because it means you can count on the Easter story. It’s trustworthy, consistent, and here to stay. Regardless of who you are, what has and has not happened in your life, what you’ve done or left undone; regardless of what you do and do not believe, the story is true for you today.
And that is why I’m repeating what I said last year because we are the resurrection miracle. Resurrection does not exist separate and apart from our lives and it is not exclusive to Jesus.
The stone was not rolled away from Jesus’ tomb to make his resurrection possible. It was not rolled away so Jesus could get out. The stone was rolled away so that we could see in; so we could see there is no death, there is only life. Resurrection isn’t just an event in history; it is a way of being. It is a life fully lived.
The empty tomb is not simply the conclusion to Holy Week, and it’s not a divine remedy to a human tragedy. The empty tomb is the reminder that the tomb is always empty. And it’s always empty because today is not the day of resurrection… today is another day of resurrection. And it’s another day of resurrection because… Easter is still happening. Happy Easter. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer, April 5, 2026, Easter Sunday
Gracious and loving God, we gather today caught between the “then” and the “now” remembering that morning long ago when the earth shook, the stone rolled away, and the women heard those life-altering words: “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.” We thank you that Easter did not end when the sun set on that first day and praise you that Easter is still happening today.
In every dim corner of our world where hope seems lost, you are still rolling away stones.
Where there is grief that feels like a sealed tomb, you are still speaking the words, “Do not be afraid.”
Where there is injustice, addiction, or despair, your resurrection power is still breaking immovable barriers and making all things new.
Which is why we confess that we often live as if the stone were still in place, becoming trapped in the Friday of our sorrows and the Saturday of our waiting. Forgive us for so often forgetting that you are always bringing for new life.
Forgive us, and then keep us ever mindful Easter is happening right now.
It happens whenever hope rises in a heart that had given up.
It happens whenever a community chooses love over division.
It happens every time we meet the Risen Christ in the face of a stranger or the breaking of bread.
Keep us praying for, and opening to serving and sharing your Good News of resurrection with those still thinking the tomb was and is the end.
For those paralyzed by fear, like the guards at the tomb, may they experience the shaking of the earth that brings new life.
For those running with a mix of “fear and great joy,” lead them to the place where they can fall at your feet and worship.
For those who are scared of what the future might hold, remind them through your power and grace, Easter is still happening, and new and renewed life is always coming.
So like you met Mary and Mary, meet us in each new day, reminding us and empowering us to be living witnesses to resurrection that is still happening.
We ask that you would hear now the prayers we lift to you in this time of Holy Silence.
We pray all of this in the name of our Risen Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, who taught us to pray saying, “Our…”