Welcome, sisters and brothers, and peace be with you. May the words on my lips and the meditations in our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our Redeemer. Amen. Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Hallelujah. Travelling through Southeast Asia and Japan this past month, I have listened to many stories. One was about a group of rescue workers responding to an earthquake. For days they searched through collapsed buildings with little hope. The official reports had already declared many areas beyond survival. But one rescuer refused to give up on a particular site, a completely flattened school. Others had moved on, but he kept listening, and then faintly he heard a tapping sound. Hours later they pulled out a young girl alive. When asked why he kept searching when others had stopped, he said as long as there was even the smallest chance of life, I couldn't walk away. That moment when hope breaks through despair, when life emerges where death seemed certain. That is the heartbeat of Easter morning. In Matthew chapter twenty eight, verses one to ten, we meet two women, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary walking towards a tomb. Let's be clear. They were going there expecting a miracle. No. They were not going there full of hope. They were going with grief, with heartbreak and finality. Jesus, the one they loved, had been crucified. The tomb was sealed. The story as far as they knew was over. But then everything changes. There is a violent earthquake, an angel descends, the stone is rolled away. Not to let Jesus out, but to let the women in. And the angel says words that echo across history. Do not be afraid. He is not here. He has risen. That tomb represents all of the places in our lives where hope feels buried. A prayer that seems unanswered. A relationship that feels beyond repair. A future that looks uncertain. A world filled with bullying, bluster, conflict and suffering. Like the sealed tomb. These moments can feel final, closed, unmovable. The two women knew that feeling. The stone wasn't just physical, it was emotional, spiritual, final. And yet God was already working behind that stone. The lesson for us Resurrection does not wait for perfect conditions. It happens right in the middle of despair. Let us also ponder something else of great importance. The women did not roll the stone away. God did. Before they arrived, before they understood, before they believed God had already acted. That's how grace works. We often think that everything depends on us, our faith, our strength, our understanding. But Easter tells a different story. Easter tells us that God is already moving. God is already working, and God is already bringing life out of death, even when we don't yet see it. The lesson for us is Resurrection is not human achievement. It is divine intervention. Matthew then tells us something beautiful and honest. The women left the tomb afraid yet filled with joy. This is such a real picture of faith. They were afraid because well resurrection is overwhelming. It disrupts everything that we thought we knew. But they were also filled with joy because hope had returned. In our lives we often think we have to choose either fear or faith, either doubt or joy. But Easter shows us that sometimes they come together. You can be unsure and still follow Jesus. You can be afraid and still carry good news. The lesson for us Faith is not the absence of fear or uncertainty. It is moving forward in spite of it. As the women run to tell the disciples that something extraordinary happens, Jesus meets them. Not in the tomb, not in a temple, but on the road, on their journey. And Jesus speaks. Greetings. And do not be afraid. And go and tell my brothers. The women came as mourners. They left as messengers. Christ reveals here the pattern of Easter Encounter Transformation Mission. The resurrection is not just something to believe, it is something to share. In a world that often feels like that earthquake scene full of brokenness, loss and despair, we are called to be the ones who keep listening for signs of life. A lesson for us to say even when others have given up, there is still hope. There is still life. Christ is risen. The tomb is empty. Death is defeated. Hope is alive. So whatever stone stands in front of you today, whatever feels sealed, final or hopeless, hear the angelic words spoken on that first Easter morning. Do not be afraid. He is risen. And then go. Go with fear if you must. Go with questions if you have them. But go with this unspeakable, unshakable truth. Christ is risen. Christ is alive. Ironga Itengoa Uteatu tematua Tetama Metewaru Amine.
