What a wonderful day this is! What a great day to be together in our Lord’s house to celebrate his resurrection from the dead. The tomb is empty, and Christ is risen. He is risen indeed, Alleluia. Christmas day is the other great highpoint of the Church’s celebrations, which is observed in some measure by believers and nonbelievers alike. For most, it makes little difference if you go to church on Christmas morning or stay home with the family, but not so with Easter. There is no place like church on Easter morning. Or perhaps it would be better to say that, of all the days to go to church, Easter morning is particularly powerful. And just look at you all. You look a little more awake, a little more dressed up, a little more joyful on this morning. And rightly so, for this morning, we celebrate the victory of life over death and that the promises of God will not be turned back by evil.

The celebration of Easter Day rightfully gives us hope and joy. Our Lord was not a bystander to the limitations and frailty of humanity. No, He took on our flesh. He bore your sin. He knew your thoughts, words, and deeds. He experienced your fears. All of this, He carried to the cross, and from the cross to the tomb, and there in the tomb all your sin and rebellion remained, but Jesus did not. For something new is born this day, something greater beyond our fears and sufferings. There is the promise of a new day, a more glorious day, the day of the resurrection of all flesh. This is what we celebrate today. This is the foundation of our courage and assurance. Because of the resurrection of our Lord, we are given the strength to push forward even when times are tough, for here is life and salvation.

But did you notice something strange about our Gospel reading this morning? Something is missing in Saint Mark’s Easter account. Of course, each Gospel writer tells it a little differently. They include the aspects of the event which fit with the structure and aim of their narrative. So, Matthew recalls the women hearing the word of the angels and running from the tomb only to run right into Jesus, our resurrected Lord. There they fall to His feet and begin to worship Him. In Luke’s Gospel, we hear about the two disciples on the road to Emmaus when Jesus appears to them and opens their hearts to the Scriptures, and then they know Him when He breaks bread with them. In John’s Gospel, Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene as she weeps at the tomb, and she knows Him when He speaks her name. But in Mark Gospel, we get the women coming to the tomb early in the morning, and we get the man in the white robe saying, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; He is not here. See the place where they laid him.” But what you do not get is Jesus Himself. You do not get that tangible encounter.

Now, thanks be to God this is not the only account we have. We have the accounts of the other Gospels, the stories of the sighting of our resurrected Lord. We can read about Thomas poking his fingers in His hands or Jesus making breakfast on the shore for His disciples. His resurrection was not just a spiritual conception, it was real and physical. Death has no dominion over Him. As Saint Paul says, “If Christ be not raised, we among all people are most to be pitied.” So, perhaps Mark, in his unique way, is driving home for us something a little different than retelling all the times Jesus appeared to various people. He is giving us here this morning something crucial. Mark is turning us again to the Word, and he directs us to what Jesus said. The angel says to the women, “Go, tell His disciples and Peter that He is going before you to Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you.”

There you will see Him, just as He told you. The focus for us this morning is on what Jesus has said. And we know they go to Galilee and do indeed see Jesus just as He had told them. Therefore, we know that the One who bore the sins of the world, the One who came to die so you might live, the One who was perfect and holy without blot or stain, He fulfills the promises of God and keeps His word. So, we are called to attend to what Jesus has said. What He says about the Father, what He says about this world, and what He says about you are all crucial. His Word is the revelation upon which our faith is founded.

Jesus’ words may be grouped into two main categories. There are commands and judgments on the one hand and promises or gifts on the other. For example, we know full well He has said you are to take up your cross and follow Him. You are to become a servant to others and not seek your own glory. You know full well that you are called to be a light set on a hill and the salt which gives flavor and meaning to the earth. In short, you are called to be beacons of love, generosity, and peace on the earth, always ready to forgive those who wrong you, and to not trust in your own wisdom or strength, but in the promises of Christ alone. When you examine these words, when you take that good long look in the mirror and compare yourself to what Christ has called for, what you see is sin every time. You see repeatedly how you have fallen short of the life of discipleship He demands. By these Words, your Lord has said you are sinners unworthy of Paradise, empty-handed sinners with nothing to exchange for eternal life.

Thanks be to God this is not all our Lord has said. For He who empties you of any thought that you might be able to save yourself speaks about the source of true hope, the place of real, lasting assurance. Having spoken His Law to end the boasting of mankind in their own works, He then speaks to you about the Good News, the Good News which fills you with joy this very morning. God sent His son to die for the world, to atone for your sins, and to take up your failures to be faithful which will inevitably follow. There is no perfection in your performance, but complete perfection in His work. From the cross to the empty tomb, Jesus has done what you could not. The price has been paid. The sacrifice has been made. “It is finished,” just as He said.

Consequently, our Lord’s suffering, passion, and death are connected to your sin. He makes the payment and satisfies God’s wrath. Therefore, on this morning, we celebrate the empty tomb. We celebrate that the final sacrifice for sin was accepted, the ultimate act of atonement has been made. And received by God, the Father then restores life to His Son, for even the power of the grave cannot hold Him. Victory is proclaimed, victory for you through what Christ has done. Easter, then, is the ongoing reality of your life. Easter is the joy and assurance that eternal life is yours. Easter is the confidence that though you fail, stumble, fall, and have your doubts and fears, Christ has already done all that is necessary for you to walk boldly through the gates of Paradise.

So, rejoice, for you are forgiven. The penalty has been paid and the sacrifice has been accepted. Through faith in His great work, all Christ has done is now given to you. Sin, death, and this wicked world will not bar you from eternal life. Salvation is yours, paid in full, just as He told you!