Rev. Sandy Lacey
April 05, 2026
Even on my best day with my best efforts, I cannot claim credit for doing anything truly extraordinary. It is always with God’s help or the Spirit’s prodding that I accomplish something that is good and right, much less extraordinary. Lest you think I am denigrating what it means to be human, let me assure you that I believe what I read in Genesis 1, that God created each one of us and declared us to be good. So, for me, for you, to be fully human is a good thing. Most of the time our challenges, our sin, is when we choose to live differently from how we are created to live. I agree with the Apostle Paul in the 6th chapter of Romans when he says the very thing I don’t want to do, that is the thing I do; and I end up not doing what I know to be good and right. It seems that we are easily distracted and our will is easily corrupted. So, it would be almost impossible for me to do something extraordinary all on my own. I can will to do the right thing but then my thoughts, personal agendas, pride, etc. can steer me off course. That is why sin is called “missing the mark” because all our best intentions can be easily thwarted.
Today’s Matthew text reminds us, however, that God is not limited. When God determines to show up and show out, extraordinary things happen. Each of the four Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John record today’s story of Jesus’ resurrection in a slightly different way. Each has women going to the tomb on the first day of the week following the Sabbath and each story has the women being instructed to be the first evangelists by telling the disciples what they have seen and heard. Some of the Gospel accounts, however, have the disciples dismissing the women’s report as sheer hooey, and Mark’s original ending has no one telling anyone anything because they were afraid. But Matthew’s version is different.
Matthew’s version has the women witness an earthquake as they arrive at the tomb. Throughout the Gospel of Matthew, we notice that all of creation is affected by God’s action. After the startling earthquake, an Angel appears and proceeds to sit on the rolled-away stone. The angel has an amazing appearance, clothing as white as snow and the angel resembles lightning. That was extraordinary in and of itself, but there will be more for the women to see and hear.
With the earthquake, Matthew wants us to clearly understand that God is breaking into the world to accomplish something extraordinary and the whole earth is affected. God is choosing to intervene. This intervention is not something easily domesticated, like . . . this is a lesson about how “good triumphs over evil” or how “life overcomes all death.” No, Matthew reminds us that this is larger than that. This is God accomplishing the impossible and it is so fantastical and awesome that people are struck dumb by it, the earth quakes because of it, and the women have to be told, “don’t be afraid.” Matthew wants us to get a sense of what a big deal this is. It is a big deal that there is an empty tomb and that God has the last word – over everything that the chief Priests said, over everything the Romans said, over everything the disciples forgot, over thousands of years of people forgetting who God is and what God does. This is a big deal.
Other than a reminder that the God we worship is no tame God and that when God chooses to intervene, amazing things happen; what else can we learn from Matthew’s version of the resurrection?
The most often repeated instruction throughout Scripture is “Do not be afraid” or “Fear not.” And the Angel repeats that instruction here. Apparently, we need that instruction more often than any other instruction. Don’t worry – in the midst of overwhelming change and circumstance, don’t be afraid because God is present and God is with you. Don’t be afraid to hope and believe that all is well in spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. You may have been diagnosed with cancer. You may have had yet another fall. You may have a crappy job. You may not be able to realize your dream. You may not be able to get into the college you want. You may be struggling with crushing grief and feelings of hopelessness – but do not be afraid, for God is with you.
It is always scary to witness change, to have traditions upended, to be faced with things we cannot possibly comprehend and understand. There is plenty of worry and fear trying to grab our attention and keep us from being who we are created to be. And who are we created to be? We are created to be alive, well, loved, loving, purposeful, worshipful of God, and always caring for others as much as we care for ourselves. Instead of being who we are created to be, however, we often find ourselves living in tombs of our making – both individually and corporately. The angel’s voice whispers to us, “Do not be afraid” – all is well. God is still God and you are not all on your own. “I am about to tell you something extraordinary and you will need courage to hear it,” the Angel says to the women. Just breathe.
The second instruction from the Angel to the women was, “come and see.” Personal experiences are important. It is hard to bear witness to something if you are completely relying upon hearsay. You must see for yourself. Testimonies come from deep inside us, often after a period of time in which we have pondered what we have seen and heard. That process of discernment may take a few minutes or it may take a few decades. Some of us process things a little more slowly and some of us are just plain stubborn! What personal experiences of the extraordinary have you encountered that you have refused to acknowledge or do something about? The nature of the word, “extraordinary” is that it happens rarely – so what are you waiting for? Or maybe God’s extraordinary acts are not as rare as we might think – if we open our eyes to see and unstop our ears. Friends, there are people out there craving to hear a word from you – an alternative to the noise of the culture. Most of us would love to hear a word that refutes the noise of consumerism, competition, violence, and exclusion that is preached and praised on a daily basis.
The third instruction the Angel gave the women was, “go and tell.” It is not enough to witness the extraordinary acts of God. We are compelled to tell others. The people you tell may not believe you (as was the case in a few of the Gospel accounts with the women telling their good news to the disciples.) But you are not responsible for what people do with the testimony you give. Your instruction is to tell. Period. I would remind all of us that communication happens in more than one way: the things we tell are communicated by word and deed. I can physically tell you that I believe God is good and that even now God is working to accomplish what is good and right in the world that God created. I can say that and then turn around and communicate by my actions that I believe the world is going to hell in a handbasket. I can say one thing and do another. I can say that God is love and then shake my fist at someone who disagrees with me politically. If you want to be heard and if you want to communicate the message that God is still working to accomplish good, then make sure you communicate effectively with the things you say and the things you do.
God does amazing and extraordinary things, and we are compelled to notice. In fact, it is not just us, but all of creation is affected by the extraordinary acts of God. When God acts, nothing will be the same and we can either choose to ignore it by burying our heads in the sand; or we may choose to not be afraid, to take a closer look, and to bear witness to what we have seen and heard. I am reminded of the Prophet Isaiah’s words in chapter 64: “O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil – to make your name known to all.” As followers of Christ, we believe that God has done that by resurrecting Jesus from the dead. And God does other amazing things everyday if we open our eyes and unstop our ears.
I cannot prove to you that the resurrection happened, that God brought Jesus back to life. I cannot prove to you that what Matthew recorded in his Gospel is exactly what happened. I can only give you my testimony as the women did that day at the tomb. Their lives were never the same after that day. And because of their courage, my life has meaning and purpose; and I am compelled, just like they were, to bear witness. How about you? Are you ready to witness something extraordinary? And what’s more, do you have the courage it takes to talk about it and demonstrate it to others? All of creation is waiting for your witness. AMEN.