The Empty Tomb

Wish you a Happy Easter. Our Lord has risen.

Today, on Easter Sunday, we stand with Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb. She was a loyal and faithful disciple of Jesus. She, with the other women, stood at the cross and watched her friend and master die a very public and humiliating death. Now after his death and burial, she is still looking for him. Imagine her surprise and shock when she saw that the huge stone that covered the tomb was rolled away. Imagine her shock and disappointment when she saw that the tomb was empty.

Easter message starts with an empty tomb. In emptiness we have eternal hope. Let us focus on the three reflections from the empty tomb- a symbol of Jesus's resurrection.

1. The empty tomb proclaims pardon for our sins:

Look into that Empty Tomb! The One who was in here is alive. Because of his resurrection, we have forgiveness from our sins. If we will call upon His name, and confess Him as your Lord, He will remove all of our sins this morning. He will save us. He has paid our debt to enable Him to do this very thing.

2. The empty tomb proclaims power for our struggles:

If the Cross is the symbol of weakness, the empty tomb is the symbol of power. Look into the tomb. It proclaims a living Christ who is our contemporary. He is victorious over even death. He lives now. He has power over our daily struggles. Even during pandemic period, we have confidence over our daily struggles.

3. The empty tomb proclaims peace for our sorrows:

Ever since the first-born son died in the first home, the world has been weeping over death. The world into which Jesus came made the funeral a time of woe and despair.

However, with the resurrection of Jesus we have hope. Now we sing at our funerals. We sing songs of hope. We say with Paul, "O death where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin: the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Empty tomb assures us pardon, power and peace.

Let us remove the emptiness of heart and fill our heart with a divine hope.

Saint Paul encourages us: "Therefore, if you be risen with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Mind the things that are above, not the things that are upon the earth. For you are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ shall appear, who is your life, then you also shall appear with Him in glory" (Colossians 3:1-4).