Empty Tomb

I attended Easter worship services at two different churches and was surprised by the lack of focus on the resurrection. While the music selections pointed to the empty tomb, the sermons themselves were basic and could have been delivered on any given Sunday in July. A cloud hung over the remainder of my day, as though I’d gone to the tomb only to find the stone still covered the entrance. Catherine Hankey (1834-1911), wrote the beloved hymn, I Love to Tell the Story and the third stanza says,

“I love to tell the story, ’tis pleasant to repeat,
What seems each time I tell it more wonderfully sweet;
I love to tell the story, for some have never heard
The message of salvation from God’s own holy Word.”

I’m reminded that every Bible story, regardless of how familiar, needs to be told and retold. At the empty tomb, “The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you (Matt 28:5-7 NIV).”