Mark 16:1-8 (NRSV)
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Chapter 16When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. Verse 2And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. Verse 3They had been saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?" Verse 4When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. Verse 5As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. Verse 6But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. Verse 7But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you." Verse 8So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
Devotion
So much like ordinary life. The women who went to the tomb were troubled about the stone. It seemed an insurmountable obstacle. How could they get past it? As with so many of our worries, the stone turns out to be no problem at all. It has been moved away. More than that, this journey of mourning is transformed into an arrival of discovery. God’s messenger gives the women the most wonderful message of all, yet the women are now troubled by the angel. They can’t believe the message and run in fear. Like the women, we often waste energy and disturb ourselves by worrying about the wrong things. Also, like them, we often are so sure of what to expect that we cannot even hear good news that differs from those expectations. Easter reminds us that what we are invited to see is the wonder of life announced by God. Yet we worry over the rocks in our way. The good news is that God desires that we hear, trust and believe.
Prayer
O God, help us learn to trust the wonder you provide and move beyond our fears and doubts, through Christ our risen Lord. Amen.