Given By Rev. Madison Shockley April 1 2018
Happy Easter! The Gospel of Mark was the first to be written. Today’s reading is rather anti-climatic. We just have an empty tomb. Throughout the gospel, we know a bit about the disciples. They were powerless, selfish, a bit power-hungry, treacherous. and cowardly. We know how they reacted to the news of the empty tomb. They were silent during the trial and nowhere near Jesus’s crucifixion. The reader is left with a decision. What will you do once you have finished reading this gospel? What is your reaction? We know there were three women who stayed faithful. Mary Magdelene, Mary, and Salome were among the women Mark said helped to finance Jesus’s ministry. They followed at a distance during the crucifixion. They came to the tomb to prepare Jesus’s body for burial. They had not given up hope. Upon discovering Jesus gone, they ran in terror and told no one. They did not follow the instructions of the white-robed man to tell the disciples to go to Galilee. Today, do you tell anyone or are you afraid? Do you believe hope and love died in that tomb or is it still here with us? If you believe that all of what Jesus stood for is still with us, why are you still silent? The way of Jesus is still alive in us. Tell the world!
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