Death cannot stop the good news. It is alive, unbound, and wild in the world. Like the mustard seed, it grows without limit. Like water turned into wine, it surprises us with joy. Like loaves of bread, it multiplies to feed each hungry soul. And now, even in the face of death, it will not be buried or silenced. Just as the angels in Advent, the angel at the empty tomb delivers good news: “Do not be afraid.” On the way to Galilee, Jesus greets the women with this same message, but adds: “Go and tell my brothers and sisters to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” As we celebrate the good news of Easter, let us also go out seeking Christ in the faces of neighbors and strangers, and in the good works that are alive in this world.*
April 5, 2026
Easter Sunday
Rooted in the Good News
The Good News is … “alive in the world!”
Matthew 28:1-10
Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl
Matthew 28:1-10
After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But 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, for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.”
So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers and sisters to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
The Good News is … alive in the world Matthew 28:1-10
But 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, for he has been raised, as he said.”
The Good News of Easter morning is not just that the tomb is empty. The Good News of Easter is also that the Risen Christ is still undeniably with us and nothing, not even death can change that. Sit with that for a moment… Let the words seep into your bones. Let them take root in your body. Let them become a part of who you are. Let them be written on your heart. Because nothing else that I say or nothing that we hear this morning will show us, remind us, or clarify for us just how powerful and life transforming Easter morning really is for us as people of faith. The Good News of Easter morning is not just the empty tomb. It is also and more importantly a reminder that the Risen Christ is still undeniably with us in all things, through all things and nothing, neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers here on Earth, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation can or will be able to change that. Sit with that a moment and let the Good News of Easter take root.
Now I wish I could take credit for these words because I would trademark them so quickly it would make your head spin. No, I came across these words as part of the commentary shared regarding our text. I quickly scribbled them down on a piece of paper on which these words greeted me throughout the week. Every time I read them, every time, I saw them, these words reminded me that no matter what was happening in the news, no matter what was going on in the world, no matter what was happening in my own life, these words reminded me of the unchangeable, undeniable, life giving, lifesaving, life transforming Good News of Easter. They reminded me that nothing, not even death can stop the presence of Christ from being with us. They reminded me that nothing can stop the Good News of God’s grace and love from finding us, renewing us, strengthening us. These words reminded me that no power here on Earth, no matter how they rattle their swords or bluster, no power here on Earth will ever stop the Good News of Easter, the Good News that love and light will always overcome, the Good News that this world will not have the last word, the Good News that God is here with us, no power here on Earth will ever stop the Good News of Easter from coming to fruition.
Sit with that for a moment. Soak it in. Doesn’t it give you chills…This Good News of God’s grace, this Good News of God at work in the world, this Good News of love and light is a part of who we are as people of faith. It has taken root in our very being and nothing will ever be able to break this life giving, life transforming connection.
Because I’m going to let you in on a secret…No matter what Gospel the preacher decides to read on Easter morning, the story is the same. Sure, depending on the version, the details may change but the basic story line stays the same. The women come to the tomb. The stone is rolled away. Jesus is not there.
What changes is us, the readers, the disciples, the people of faith gathered around the tomb. What changes is our willingness, our ability, our openness to receiving the Good News. Because the empty tomb is not a one and done moment in time. The Empty Tomb is about us as people of faith imagining a reality reborn. It is about us knowing deep in our bones that God is here, moving in and among us, bringing healing and wholeness. It is about us as Jesus’ disciples embodying the Good News, rooting and grounding us in God’s love and grace. It is about us , becoming a new creation filled with the fruit of the Spirit. It is about us knowing and living out the Good News of Easter, celebrating, shouting, praising our God because we know, we know…that the Risen Christ is still undeniably with us in all things, through all things and nothing, neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation can or will be able to change that.
Or let me say it this way – I shared earlier this week that what I love about Matthew’s version of the Easter story is that he doesn’t ignore the fact that Rome with all its trappings of Empire, that Rome who created the narrative which still shapes the world’s understanding of power and might, that Rome with all its armies and guards which Rome used to instill fear, to keep people under control, all to maintain a false sense of Pax Romana, what I love about Matthew’s version of the Easter story is that it doesn’t ignore the fact that Rome still exists in the midst of the Good news of the Resurrection. In fact, Matthew is the only Gospel which has Rome present at the empty tomb. In the verses right before our text, Matthew tells us that the powers that be were worried the disciples would secretly steal the body so Pilate ordered guards to be at the tomb to make it as secure as they could. Well, we can see how well that worked out!
Rome is right there. The world’s first superpower is right there with guards and still it could not stop the Good News of Easter morning from coming to fruition! Yea God! Now for some that would be enough, but we all know that our God is so much bigger than we could ever imagine, that our God continues to surprise us and amaze us. And God does so on that first Easter morning because again, another thing that I love about Matthew’s version of the Easter story is he acknowledges that just because Jesus rose from the grave, the powers that be of the world suddenly disappeared, never to be heard from again.
By having Rome present at the empty tomb, Matthew shows us, the disciples who are now called to share the Good News of Easter, by having Rome present at the empty tomb, Matthew shows us that in a world where Rome is still in power, we do not need to be afraid. Because nothing will ever stop the Good News of Easter from coming to fruition. Not because of who we are but because of who our God is…our God is bringing about a seismic shift both literally and figuratively. The Beloved Community of God is coming to fruition for all of God’s people. And nothing, no power here on Earth nor things present nor things to come can or will stop that from happening.
You see, the purpose of the empty tomb is not to ignore the harsh realities of the world. No, the purpose of the empty tomb is to show Rome, to show the powers that be that continue to choose death and destruction, even to show us as people of faith that the Good News cannot be stopped….the Good News of God’s love and grace, the Good News of love and light overcoming all the hate, hurt and brokenness, the Good News about this world not having the last word. The Good News that the Risen Christ is with us. The Good News that we have nothing to fear. All of that is a part of who we are as disciples of the Risen Lord. It is alive in our world. And it has taken root in our hearts, in our very beings and nothing, nothing can ever separate us from that connection.
That is why today and all days, as disciples of the Risen Christ, we rejoice. That is why we have embraced our call to share the Good News… we know, we know deep in our bones, deep in our soul, in our hearts…we know that “Kings come and Kings go but God…our God is shaking the earth with power and love, so tender and transforming it can make a tomb bloom with new life.” Thanks be to God! Amen.
See also: Theology Tuesday for Sunday, April 5, 2026 – The Good News is … alive in the world Matthew 28:1-10.
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*(from sanctifiedart.org)
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