Before the sun had fully risen on that first day of the week, women approached the tomb of Jesus, carrying not only spices but also the weight of their grief. They expected to find death, but instead encountered emptiness—a void that became the birthplace of hope. Their sorrow was not quickly dismissed; it was real, raw, and unresolved. These women, brokenhearted and confused, showed up anyway, their presence a quiet act of resistance against the systems that had executed their teacher. Even when their testimony was dismissed as nonsense, their witness stood as a testament to the power of faith in the midst of despair.
The story of these women echoes through history, resonating with all who have borne witness to suffering and injustice, only to have their voices silenced or ignored. From the mothers of the Plaza de Mayo in Argentina to those grieving in places of violence and oppression today, the resurrection of Jesus is not distant from our pain but intimately connected to it. God binds Himself to those who grieve, to those whose hope has been buried, and to those whose witness is rejected. The resurrection does not float above suffering; it descends into it, transforming pain into hope.
Today, the tombs are many—places where death, injustice, and indifference seem to reign. Yet, the stone is still rolling. Each act of truth-telling, each moment when love rises where hate has tried to bury it, is a continuation of resurrection. The church is not a building but a people who gather, even in the mud and ruins, to proclaim that life wins, love endures, and justice will rise. We are called to carry our grief in holy defiance, to speak truth even when dismissed, and to hold fast to a hope that is neither cheap nor easy, but rooted in the God who meets us in our emptiness and calls us to rise.
Key Takeaways
- Grief is not an obstacle to resurrection but often its very soil. The women at the tomb did not deny their sorrow; they brought it with them, and in doing so, became the first witnesses to hope. God meets us in our brokenness, not after we have overcome it, but right in the midst of it. Resurrection begins where grief is honestly carried and offered. [00:19]
- Bearing witness in the face of dismissal is a sacred act. The women’s testimony was called an “idle tale,” yet their faithfulness echoes through time. When our voices are silenced or our experiences denied, we stand in a long tradition of witnesses whom God believes, even when the world does not. Our truth-telling is a form of holy protest. [01:25]
- Resurrection is not a denial of suffering but a transformation of it. Jesus’s rising does not erase pain; it descends into it, binding God to those who grieve and whose hope has been buried. The empty tomb is not an escape from reality but a promise that God is present in the very places we expect only death. [02:20]
- The stone is still rolling wherever truth is spoken and love rises. Resurrection is not a one-time event but an ongoing movement—each act of justice, each refusal to let hate have the last word, is a continuation of that first Easter morning. We are invited to participate in this movement, letting hope take root in our lives and communities. [04:10]
- The church is not defined by buildings but by people who embody resurrection hope. Even when sanctuaries are washed away, the gathered community remains, singing and proclaiming life in the midst of loss. Our identity as the church is found in our willingness to rise together, to be the living testimony that Christ is risen and resurrection is not finished with us yet. [05:11]
YouTube Chapters
[00:00] - Welcome
[00:19] - Women Approach the Tomb in Grief
[00:38] - The Weight of Brokenheartedness
[01:09] - Presence as Protest
[01:25] - Testimony Dismissed as Nonsense
[01:41] - Parallels with Mothers of Plaza de Mayo
[01:59] - Resurrection Touches Our Pain
[02:20] - God Binds Himself to the Grieving
[02:35] - Modern Tombs: Injustice and Suffering Today
[03:26] - God Believes the Women
[03:51] - The Stone Still Rolls
[04:10] - Resurrection in Acts of Truth and Love
[04:29] - Church in the Midst of Ruins
[05:11] - The People Are the Church
[05:32] - Proclaiming Hope and Justice
[06:10] - Resurrection Is Not Finished
[06:26] - Closing Prayer
