Objects of Easter: The Tomb, The Napkin, & The Stone (Part VI)

Sermon Title: Objects of Easter – The Tomb, The Napkin, and The Stone

Good News Statement: Jesus offers us a meaning of Easter through what we see

Summary: The Easter story is filled with touching moments that have changed the world, but it is also filled with objects that have changed our life; and these objects add depth and meaning to the resurrection, which we count on happening.

Preached: Sunday, April 5^th, 2026 at Dogwood Prairie UMC & Seed Chapel UMC

Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.

 

Scripture (NRSVUE): John 20:1, 11-18 Today’s scripture reading comes from the Gospel of John. During the Lenten and Easter Season, we are going to be walking with Jesus to the Cross, listening to his parables, deciphering his teachings, and experiencing our own resurrection. Our walk leads us to the empty tomb, which invites us to do some cleaning in our life. Our scripture reading is from John Chapter Twenty, Verses One and Eleven thru Eighteen. May the hearing and understanding of this scripture add a blessing to your life.

The Resurrection of Jesus

20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb.

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

¹¹ But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look^[a^] into the tomb, ¹² and she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. ¹³ They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” ¹⁴ When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. ¹⁵ Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” ¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). ¹⁷ Jesus said to her, “Do not touch me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” ¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and she told them that he had said these things to her.

This is the Word of God for the People of God; And all God’s people said, “Thanks be to God.”

 

 

 

Introduction:

Everywhere you look, you see something, an object that has changed the world. According to Nature, an online news source, “nails, wheels, springs, magnets, lenses, string, and pumps are seven everyday objects that have made the modern world.”  Just sitting in this room, I bet you can spot a majority of those objects.

Have you ever given any thought to the objects in your life? Have you thought about how at one point in history that object didn’t exist? Have you ever wondered what your life would be like if you didn’t have a certain object that you have today? Have you ever taken a step back and said, “My, how things have changed.” We live in a society, in a culture, in a world where life thrives on objects; and the objects we have today, much like in the past, will be replaced by other objects that would confuse us today but will make life easier in the future. Our life has been, is, and will be consumed by the objects in which we seek.

For a moment, listen to this list of objects that have not only changed our life but have also changed the world:  the nail, the wheel, string and rope, magnets, the compass, and lenses, the printing press, vaccines and penicillin, concrete, steel, batteries, electricity, the light bulb, airplanes, automobiles, trains, boats, farm machinery, refrigerators, the microwave, and the sewing machine, credit cards, zippers, Velcro, GPS, computers, smartphones, and the internet. These objects created global interconnection, increased personal mobility, and transformed the ability to store, use, and transfer energy and information. This is not an exhaustive list—and it certainly doesn’t account for every object ever made that changed the world—but it is a list of objects in which many of us have access to today that do in fact change our life.

At this point you may be wondering what all this has to do with Easter, since we are in the Easter Season. Well, the Easter Season is filled with objects that have changed the world. There are Easter Eggs, Baskets filled with gifts and treats, bunny cakes, special candies and sweets, and we can’t forget about the Easter Bunny. But there are other objects related to Easter that have also changed the world. And these objects aren’t just any objects but objects found in scripture during the last days and hours of Jesus’ life. But sadly, sometimes we overlook these objects because, as song writer AJR states, we want “to skip to the good part” which is the resurrection of Jesus Christ—the moment when the stone is rolled away, the cloth is folded, and the tomb is empty. So, for the next few weeks, we are going to explore certain objects of the Easter Story that have not only changed our life but have changed the world.

 

Body:

Happy Easter Everyone! Doing a little research, Easter always happens during the Spring season. The earliest Easter can happen is March 22^nd and the latest it can happen is April 25^th. The Spring season is often characterized by warmer weather, melting snow, rain, increased daylight, and plants blooming. It symbolizes rebirth, rejuvenation, and new beginnings. It represents a fresh start, individuals tend to have an extra “spring in their step,” and there is plenty of “spring cleaning” this time of year. It’s no wonder Easter takes place during the Spring season. Easter is also a time when people undergo rebirth, rejuvenation, restoration, fresh starts, and new beginnings for themselves. Easter gives one’s faith an extra spring in their belief and it certainly allows them to do some spiritual cleaning.

This past week, I was thinking about the correlation between Spring and Easter. I don’t know about you, but when Spring comes to town, I have this urge to do some spring cleaning. I have an urge to clean the windows, do some dusting, possibly go through the closets, make a list of outside tasks and home improvements, and adventure into the garage to open those boxes that have been sealed for years. Do any of you have this same urge when Spring comes to town? You just want to have a fresh start in this new season?

Now here at the parsonage, I have a few boxes that haven’t been opened in some time, but that is a different story for my parents’ house. I have boxes in their basement and attic and in my closet that have been packed since I left for Seminary in 2018. Some of those boxes have electronics in them that most likely no longer work or are non-usable with the current technology, but I might need them some day. Some of the boxes contain college textbooks and research papers that I might use in the future but haven’t been opened since I graduated. Some of those boxes contain shirts that represent the events I was involved with in junior high and high school with hopes of becoming a T-shirt quilt someday. Some of those boxes contain my old baseball jerseys—stained with sweat and dirt—from the age of five to the age of fourteen, hoping to one day pass them down to the next generation. And in some of those boxes are homework assignments and school projects from elementary school that haven’t been seen since I brought them home, smashed in my backpack. In my parents’ attic and basement, I know there is more of my stuff and my siblings stuff than things that belong to my parents.

Thinking about this, I have to ask, “What was I thinking? Why did I keep all this stuff?” I have so many boxes full of things that I probably should have thrown away years ago. (Sorry Emily!) This probably does not happen at your house. But sometimes we just cling to stuff that no longer serves us, but has been hanging out in our storage spaces for years and years and years. We can all probably do some Spring cleaning. And it’s not just the garage or basement or attic that needs to be cleaned: our faith needs some Spring cleaning as well. That’s what Easter offers us: a chance to have our faith cleaned and de-cluttered so that we can better see the light of Christ.

Author and United Methodist pastor, Rachel Billups, in the “Epilogue” to her book, An Unlikely Lent: Extraordinary People of the Easter Story, encourages us, through unlikely people seen around the crucifixion of Christ, to use unlikely moments to do something new. In the case of doing some cleaning, she writes, “What about when life gets messy, and tomorrow is unsure, what do you cling to then? Sometimes it is hard to move forward into unknown spaces. Sometimes it is hard to picture that tomorrow’s best-case scenario could outdo today’s worse-case situation of old comforts stored in time-worn boxes. Sometimes we just want to hold on to what we know!”[1] We are familiar with the Easter story; but no matter how familiar you are with it, the Easter story still shows you something unlikely that can change your life. It still gives you a good reason to do some cleaning. But how?

 

Movement One: Reviewing the Past…

Before we get to this week’s Easter Objects, let’s remind ourselves of where we have been. Four weeks ago we began a new sermon series focused on the “objects of Easter” that appear during the week, days, and hours leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. Four Sundays ago, we spent time in the “upper room” as mentioned in Mark 14:12-16. Based on biblical descriptions and historical context the “upper room”[2] in Jerusalem—a “large” (Mark 14:15), “furnished” (Luke 22:12), and “ready” (Mark 14:15) space—was located on the second floor of a house. It was in the upper room where Jesus had one last meal with his disciples and washed their feet.[3]  To this, I invited you to contemplate the following questions: “Where is your upper room? Where do you allow yourself to feel the presence of Christ in your life?” Having an upper room in your life is essential not only for your faith but for your relationship with Jesus Christ. It’s in your upper room, whatever that may be, that you allow yourself to experience the presence of Jesus Christ. So this Easter, find that space and enjoy it.

Four weeks ago, we found ourselves in the courtyard with Peter, who was caught denying Jesus three times before the rooster crowed twice (Mark 14:66-72).[4] We also read that after Peter’s denying, “he broke down and wept” (Mark 14:72). Peter wept. He wept because he realized what he had done. But he also realized what we have come to believe today: Jesus forgives us and Jesus loves us. In the courtyard we weep knowing that our life needs to change for Christ.

Three weeks ago, we spent time examining the crown of thorns and the purple robe draped upon Jesus. We learned that the crown of thorns was originally viewed as an object of mockery, humiliation, and torture. The crown of thorns that Jesus wore was a crown that carried our sins. Jesus wore our sins to the cross as they were pressed into him so that we could be set free. Then we learned about the purple robe, which much like the crown of thorns, was an object of mockery. From the color purple, the robe was a visual sign to all of us of the courage that Jesus has draped over us. This courage allows us to deny ourselves, carry our cross, follow Jesus, love our enemies, love our neighbors as we love ourselves, turn the other cheek, pray for those who persecute us, and simply do what Christ needs us to do. This courage allows us to live the life that we have been so graciously gifted, so that we can face tomorrow.

Two weeks ago, we found ourselves on the road Jesus traveled to his crucifixion known as the Via Dolorosa. In Latin it means “Way of Sorrows” or “Way of Suffering.”  As Jesus traveled this road, which wasn’t perfect by any means and what seemed to be a parade for the condemned,  he was beaten and tortured, forced to carry his cross as people shouted and mocked him, spat on him and possibly threw  things at him. This brief moment invites us to consider the roads that we have traveled and whether or not we seek to find Jesus on those roads.

Finally, last week, we saw that Jesus entered Jerusalem with shouts and praises. He rode a donkey as cloaks were placed on the ground. He heard people wanting to be saved. He saw palm branches being waved. It was a joyous day for many; and today it is a day to remind us of the victory that will be placed on a cross, placed in a tomb, and three days later rise from the tomb. We learned that Jesus chose to go to Jerusalem because that is where the good news would be shared the most. We learned that Jesus chose to ride a donkey to show his humility and humbleness, to indicate that he wasn’t a warrior. We learned that the shouts of “Hosannas” were the shouts of prayers for us today. “Hosanna” means “Save us now.” And we learned that the palm branch waved on Palm Sunday is a reminder that we are connected to Jesus and that there is victory in him.

And today, we venture to the garden to be with Mary Magdalene as she weeps, holds on to Jesus, but begins to change her life. Mary does some spiritual cleaning and realizes that the tomb was emptied for her and all of us today. Are you willing to step out of the tomb feeling renewed, refreshed, and cleaned?

 

Movement Two: Stuck in the Tomb…

Early in the morning Mary had come to the tomb to finish the burial preparations on Jesus’s body. Head down, hostage to the many thoughts racing through her mind, she did not see the open tomb at first, but when she did, she ran to tell Peter and Jesus’s beloved disciple. After an abrupt foot race between the two men, Mary reappeared on the scene, setting out to do all the things she knew to do.

Mary of Magdalene had come with a plan. She came expecting to use the spices and oils that she had brought to anoint Jesus’ body for burial. Upon reaching the tomb, Mary was confidant and determined to find Jesus’s body and prepare it for the long slumber of death. I mean after all, she was present when Jesus took his last breath on what we call Good Friday, she witnessed from a distance Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus remove Jesus from the cross and lay him in the tomb, and she saw the stone rolled into place. Based upon what she saw, she knew she had to anoint Jesus’ body for proper burial. I’m sure as she walked to the tomb, expecting to see it sealed, that she wondered what this would mean for her, for her past, and for her future knowing that Jesus, the one who saved her, was no longer present?

Arriving and staring at an empty tomb, Mary was not merely mourning Jesus, she was mourning the life she had just begun to experience. Mary was grieving the future she believed in. Billups notes, “This was a woman who had been radically transformed by Jesus.”[5] This is a woman who was becoming spiritually clean. According to Luke, Jesus had cast seven demons out of her and whether that meant demons of illness, oppression, or something deeper we are not quite sure. What we do know is that she had been bound by something dark, and Jesus had truly set her free, and now he was no longer present, avoiding people from casting the first stone.

Luke 8:1-3 shares, “Soon afterward [Jesus] went on through one town and village after another, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities:  Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who ministered to them out of their own resources.”

It was no wonder she followed him with such devotion. Jesus had given her a new life, a new purpose, and a new destiny. That was until now. With his death her life felt ripped away. It makes sense that she would be clinging to the past. She had built her world around Jesus, and now she felt paralyzed in the grief of remembering the way things used to be. She was comfortable knowing that she had boxes filled with stuff from her past. She had a plan based on what she had but not based on what she needed.

Have you ever found yourself caught up in the tomb of nostalgia, longing for the way things used to be? You long for the simple delights of your childhood. You pine over life when your parents or grandparents were alive or when your kids were little. You long for the day when people were kinder, politics less divisive, and the world not merely as troubling. Some of us are holding so tight to what we know that we are afraid to step into what is next or even what we don’t know. We keep attempting to make sure everything stays the same, because if we navigate one more change, we may just lose our minds.

Mary could not see what was right in front of her. Her past was keeping her from seeing the promise and hope of the empty tomb. She wanted Jesus to be in the tomb. She needed Jesus to be in the tomb. She wanted things to be as they should. John tells us, “But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb, and she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ She said to them, ‘They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him’” (John 20:11-13).

Billups notes, “Mary’s tears were not just a few silent tears. Mary was full-on ugly crying.”[6] Mary was experiencing this kind of grief where your vision blurs, your chest heaves, and snot runs down your face. The kind of sorrow that makes everything hazy, where you could not even see straight, let alone recognize that the figures sitting inside the tomb were angels. Maybe she wiped at her face, trying to make sense of what she was witnessing, but the weight of sorrow was too much. Her heart was shattered, her hope was buried and now, to make matters worse, even Jesus’s body was gone. She was drowning so deeply in loss that when the angels asked why she was crying, she could barely muster an answer. They were messengers of heaven, glowing in divine presence, but to Mary, they were just figures in the blur of her grief. She was caught up in what should be that she couldn’t see what has become.

When Mary turned around there was a man standing close by and she assumed he was the gardener because that is what she knew. But he was not. It was Jesus, and he was alive. Jesus immediately spoke her name, “Mary!” And Mary grabbed for him. I can imagine Mary saying, “Oh, my goodness, Jesus! Don’t you ever leave me again! I’ve been so scared! You have no idea!” But what Jesus said next was some of the most interesting and unexpected words. “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God” (John 20:17 NIV).

Church, sometimes when we get to Easter, we find ourselves stuck in the tomb. We bring everything to the tomb expecting it to change our life, wanting it to change our life, but when it comes time to let go and give God everything, we find ourselves keeping some of our “boxes” sealed and stored away. We are afraid to leave the tomb because leaving the tomb means we need to change something in our life. We come to the tomb expecting our plans to be fulfilled, wanting to tell Jesus what we need. But, like Mary, we need to come to the tomb weeping knowing that Jesus has changed our life: that Jesus has opened our “boxes”, removed what is no longer needed, and has done some spiritual cleaning in our life. Jesus doesn’t leave the tomb empty so that you can continue living your current life: he leaves the tomb empty so that you can live a new life, so that who can leave the past behind, so that you can feel renewed and refreshed, so that you can have a new beginning.

The tomb wasn’t emptied for Jesus. The tomb was emptied for you, so that you can have a new life in Christ. Are you willing to no longer be stuck in the tomb, but instead experience a new change in your life outside of the tomb with Jesus?

 

Movement Three: Don’t Cling…

In order to fully walk out of the tomb, we have to stop clinging to what was. Returning to John 20, Jesus says, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father” (John 20:17). What a strange response coming from Jesus! Don’t hold on to me, don’t cling to me, really? This was just not like Jesus. Jesus was the guy who welcomed children and who ate dinner elbow to elbow next to everyone. If you keep on reading through the Gospel of John, you’ll see that Jesus invited Thomas, the disciple with trust issues, to not merely touch his resurrected body but to put his fingers in the holes left from the nails. What was this about Jesus? Of course, Mary was going to grab Jesus as soon as she recognized him. Can you blame her? She thought something terrible happened to Jesus’ body, she thought Jesus’ body was stolen. Of course she doesn’t want to let go of what was once lost.

She had assumed Jesus was gone forever. She believed life as she knew it was over. Everything she had built her hope around had been buried in that tomb. And now against all odds Jesus was back. Can you imagine the emotional whiplash? The grief, the despair, the heartbreak and then all of those emotions were instantly replaced by shock, wonder, and joy. So she did what any of us would do when we think we have finally gotten back what we lost. Mary tried to hold on! Desperate, relieved, and overwhelmed, she grabbed for Jesus like she was never letting go. But Jesus said, “Don’t! Don’t hold on to me.” Talk about wanting to go back in the tomb.

Billups shares that Jesus said what he said, “Not because [he] did not love Mary, nor because he did not understand how she felt, but because another plan was unfolding.”[7] Mary was holding on to what was, when God was calling her into what was next. Mary wanted to freeze that moment, to go back to the Jesus she knew, but resurrection is not about going back. Resurrection is about moving forward. Jesus is alive, but he is not alive so we can all stay the same. He was calling Mary to step into the wild, unfolding the future of God’s kingdom. And maybe that is the word some of us need: stop clinging to what was and start stepping into what God is doing next. Stop clinging to what was never meant to be permanent.

This portion of Mary’s story reminds me of a story that I have shared a few times. According to the King James Version, there was folded cloth left in the empty tomb, and this cloth was a sign that we are not meant to return to how things were but to proceed to what can be. The King James Version tells us in the Gospel of John 20:7 that the napkin or cloth, which was placed over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes, it was folded. The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed separate from the grave clothes. Why? According to Hebrew tradition, the folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition. If the master were done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, ‘I’m done.’ But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table, because the folded napkin meant, ‘I’m coming back!’”  If Mary was studying the empty tomb, then she should have noticed that the napkin was folded indicating that Jesus was not done, that Jesus was coming back; therefore, the resurrection is real. But again, she wanted to hold on to what was and not what is. Her napkin was wadded up when Jesus breathed his last breath from the cross, but the napkin of Jesus was folded indicating that there is more to come: there is more than an empty tomb.

We are meant to see the folded napkin and take to heart that Jesus is coming back. We are encouraged, like the women, to spread the news that Jesus is risen, that Jesus conquered death, that the cross didn’t have that last word, and that Satan has no place in our new resurrected life outside of the tomb.

Right now, I feel inclined to ask you, “What might you be holding on to? Do you have a life direction that has changed but you keep trying to force it, holding on to the old? You have always been a parent, but now your kids crave independence, and you are just not ready to let go. Perhaps you have a version of faith that felt solid for decades, but now there’s a holy discontent rising in you. God is inviting you into something deeper but you long for what was, unable to picture what could be because your napkin is wadded.

 Jesus was not calling Mary to go back to what she had experienced before. Jesus was calling her forward into something new. Mary’s best prayer was for restoration, and she could not yet envision resurrection. Mary needed to understand that the folded napkin was an invite to leave everything in the tomb. She needed to know that Jesus is coming back. She needed to let go of what was so that she could focus on what can be. She wanted to hold on to Jesus because she didn’t want to lose him again, even though he is always with her. Are you clinging onto something from your past that is preventing you from seeing the folded napkins in your life: the promises of new beginnings, the hope that Jesus is coming back for you? He didn’t fold that napkin for him. He folded it for you.

 

Movement Four: Embrace an Unlikely Faith…

Thinking about Mary’s experience at the tomb, I believe Mary had what I am calling an unlikely faith. She was not the one people would have picked to be the first preacher of the Resurrection. She had lived a complicated past and was now experiencing a whole lot of confusion about what was happening with Jesus. If there was a vote on who should get the honor of announcing the greatest news in history, Mary’s name would not have even been on the ballot. And yet God chose her. Jesus did not wait for the most popular, the most experienced, or the most put-together person to be his witness. Jesus empowered the one who had been broken, the one who had doubted, and the one who was not even supposed to be there. And if that’s how faith works, then maybe Jesus is calling you.

And here’s the thing about this unlikely faith: it shows up in the places we least expect. You see, Mary was not the only one. Billups shares, “Throughout history, Jesus has continued to reveal himself to the overlooked ones, the struggling ones, the ones who suffer, and the ones who feel like their story disqualifies them from ever being loved by God. Is that you?”[8] Do you feel like Jesus has continually revealed himself to you?

Church, Jesus has been able to reveal himself to you because the stone was rolled away. The stone that sealed the tomb of Jesus was rolled into a groove that would have made it merely impossible for a single person or any normal sized person to move it. Tombs weren’t meant to be opened and reopened repeatedly. They were meant to be a seal, a lock, to preserve the dead from the outside world. But yet this large stone, as Mark describes, was moved. That stone was Satan’s way of keeping us from Jesus, but it didn’t work. That stone sent a message that the dead are in here, but Jesus rose from the dead. That stone was a seal for humanity but not for God. That stone was rolled away not for Jesus but for you. Jesus didn’t have to roll the stone away, but he did so that you would be reminded that nothing can keep Jesus from being in your life, even if you feel like an unlikely character in God’s plan.

Paul wrote to the people of Rome, “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). Not even a stone can keep the love of Christ from you. That stone reminds us that Jesus is alive, that Jesus sees us, and that Jesus is calling us forward. Jesus is standing right in front of you, calling your name. Maybe today is the day you stop clinging to what was and start stepping into what’s next. Maybe today is the day that you realize that the stone was rolled away for you so that you can leave the tomb empty and continue following Jesus.

Perhaps it’s time to let go of those old boxes. If you have been holding on to the past, today is the day to let go. Jesus is meeting you where you are, right here, right now. Are you ready to embrace an unlikely faith? Are you willing and ready to live out the power and promise of Jesus’ Resurrection?

 

Conclusion:

To help us understand how Easter is a day of spiritual cleaning, to leave the past behind and walk out of the tomb feeling refreshed, I want to show you what Mary experienced in the garden. For the past two weeks, you have been filling out these little slips of paper with your worries, your anxieties, your concerns, and whatever you want to give to God. I have placed your words upon the cross; and today, your words get to disappear. Today, we allow the waters of Christ to wash away what has been weighing heavy on our hearts. Today, we let Jesus do some cleaning in our life.

As Jesus washes away our worries and receives them as prayers, we are reminded that in order to fully embrace the resurrection of Easter, we have to leave our past in the tomb, we have to be willing to walk out of the tomb—trusting God in the changes that lay ahead—knowing that Jesus isn’t done with us yet, and that the stone was rolled away for us. Jesus didn’t experience resurrection for himself, he experienced the resurrection for you, so that you can be set free. It’s time to do some cleaning. Jesus is waiting!

As the hymn “Christ the Lord is Risen Today” reminds us, “Christ the Lord is risen today…! Earth and heaven in chorus say…! Raise your joys and triumphs high…! Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply…! Love’s redeeming work is done…!” Today, Christ is risen! Today, Christ has left the tomb! The resurrection of Christ is a day of new beginning. The resurrection is real and present in your life. And the best part about his resurrection is the fact that his resurrection lives eternally in your heart yesterday, today, and tomorrow because he has promised to return, to come back to us, to help us do some cleaning![9] Go, share about the resurrection of Jesus Christ! Christ is Risen indeed! You have been made new!

 

Communion:

Closing Prayer:

Let us Pray… Jesus, help me to let go. When I am tempted to clench my fist around everything that I know, help me to open my hands, my heart, and my calendar to new life possibilities. When fear tells me to cling to what’s familiar, give me courage to trust you with the unknown. Help me believe that resurrection is possible and that even now, you are calling my name and inviting me into an unlikely faith. Amen.

 

Benediction:

Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen Indeed! Go forth, and share about the resurrection of Jesus Christ! And all God’s people said, Amen. Amen. Amen.

 

[1] Rachel Billups, An Unlikely Lent: Extraordinary People of the Easter Story, Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 2025, pg. 124.

[2] In Greek anagaion meaning upper room or cenaculum meaning dining room.

[3] Later on, according to the Book of Acts, the disciples—a total of 120—gathered at Pentecost in the upper room as they “were filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:4).Also in the Book of Acts, we read that Paul, before departing Ephesus, is found preaching from within an upper room, in which someone falls asleep and tumbles out of the window (Acts 20:7-12). Later on, in Philemon, Paul requests that a guest room—an upper room—be prepared for him: “One thing more: prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping through your prayers to be restored to you” (Philemon 1:22). But even before the previously mentioned events in the Book of Acts, we read that it was in the upper room that Jesus appeared to his disciples after his resurrection to greet them and show them his hands and his side (John 20:19-29), removing Thomas’ doubt (John 20:26-27), after saying “Peace be with you” (Luke 24:36-49).  Even before all these events, the upper room is where the prophet Elisha stayed: the room was furnished with a bed, table, chair, and a lamp (2 Kings 4:10). Today, the upper room is an object that changed the world because at one point it rejected Mary and Joseph—there was now room in the upper room (Luke 2:7)—but then it became a place that was available to Jesus, to the disciples, to the 120, and now available to us. At one point in time, the upper room, the kataluma, was a place of rejection but now is a place of acceptance: a place where one is able to accept the presence of Christ in their life.

[4] After Jesus spends time in the upper room and then prays in the Garden of Gethsemane as three of his disciples fall asleep, Jesus is betrayed by Judas with a kiss (Mark 14:43-50).^[4] It’s after this kiss that Jesus is turned over to the Roman authority and transported by night to the Praetorium, the palace, of King Herod where Roman Governor Pontius Pilate was staying.

[5] Rachel Billups, An Unlikely Lent: Extraordinary People of the Easter Story, Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 2025, pg. 124.

[6] Rachel Billups, An Unlikely Lent: Extraordinary People of the Easter Story, Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 2025, pg. 126.

[7] Rachel Billups, An Unlikely Lent: Extraordinary People of the Easter Story, Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 2025, pg. 127.

[8] Rachel Billups, An Unlikely Lent: Extraordinary People of the Easter Story, Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 2025, pg. 129.

[9] There is a scene in the movie “Jesus of Nazareth” where Caiaphas, the High Priest and a group of soldiers come rushing to Jesus’ empty tomb that first Easter Sunday. In it, there is a discussion of what has happened to the body of Jesus. The soldier in charge tells Caiaphas that it would have been impossible for anyone to have come and taken the body because his soldiers, along with some of the Temple guards, were there all night keeping watch over the tomb. Caiaphas then walks into the empty tomb and, as the camera zooms in on his face whispers, “Now it begins. Now it all begins.” Our new life, in Christ, begins today.