Matthew 28:5-6-"The angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay."

Easter is a time that Christians around the world celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a time of remembering Christ's victory over death, hell and the grave. It is a time of great joy. 

In Matthew 28:5-6 we find the first persons to experience this event first hand were Mary Magdalene and the other Mary. They came to the tomb with heavy hearts. Having been eye witnesses to Jesus' brutal torture and crucifiction. They came to the tomb to pay their respects to the man that changed their lives forever. 

What they did not expect was to encounter an angel that would ordain them to be the first evangelists of Christ's resurrection. In this encounter the angel not only declared Jesus had risen but invited them to come and see for themselves that he was no longer in the tomb. He did not want them to have any doubts that what they witness was true. He also sent them out to tell the other disciples of this monumentous event.

Can you imagine what was going through the minds and hearts of these two special women? How they must have felt when they were told that Jesus is alive? How their grief turned to joy in just a matter of seconds? Jesus was died and now if alive. What a message they got to share with others.

How about you? How has this event impacted your life? How does knowing Jesus has risen changed the way you live your life?

The same instructions that the angel gave Mary Magdalene and the other Mary is the same message we get to share today. Jesus has risen. Come and see where he lay. Go tell his disciples or in our case those living in our community. Jesus' tomb is the only tomb that has no body. All the other religious leaders of our time cannot make that claim. 

This fact is crucial for us as believers because if their is no empty tomb, there is no resurrection. If there is not resurrection then our faith is futile. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:14-17, 20-"And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep."

So because of Easter we have faith and hope that our sins are forgiven. This means that we will spend eternity with Jesus. Let's go do like those women did after their encounter with the angel. Let's tell the world that Jesus is alive and has risen from the dead.

Prayer: Lord, thank you that Good Friday was not the end of the story. Thank you that Sunday changed the narrative and Jesus is alive. Help us be like Mary Magdalene and the other Mary and go tell the story that Jesus Christ has risen. In Jesus' Name, Amen!