“So the woman hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell His disciples. Suddenly, Jesus met them, “Greetings,” He said. They came to Him, clasped His feet, and worshiped Him.” (Matthew 28:8-10 NIV)
I was intentionally silent on the blog yesterday, in keeping with the scriptures. I’ve often thought about those who loved Jesus most; thrashing about in Saturday’s grief without any tasks to detract from it. How hard. How holy. Unfortunately, I spent the day bogged down in a myriad of details: finalizing things for Sunday service, preparing food for the church potluck and readying our home for our son’s weekend visit. But as I performed these tasks, I thought about the friends of Jesus and I related to their sorrow.
When Sunday morning finally broke, we find these ladies on the path to the tomb, anxious to get started, to do something to serve their Savior. Matthew’s gospel tells us, they were already on their way when an earthquake struck and an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and rolled back the stone. (I wonder, were Matthew’s events out of order? Did the stone roll cause the quake?)
Imagine the ladies surprise when they got to the tomb and found it empty and guarded by an angel, instead of Roman henchmen! The angel had instructions for them. He told them not to be afraid, (thanks, that really helps!) and to head back to the disciples with the news that the Lord had risen and would meet them in Galilee. Much to the ladies credit, they hurry away from the tomb with truth burning in their hearts. While they are on their way, they bump into the risen Savior and He confirms the here-say.
This morning, I want to note the women’s right response. These ladies ran to Him, fell on their faces, and worshiped. Worship is always right in the face of resurrection, but it’s not always our reaction. There are other, lesser options. We can deny His resurrection, as the priests and pharisees did. We can make attempts to cover it up as the soldiers did. Or we can ignore it altogether, as many people do. Yet worship is the way God expects us to respond to His resurrection: it’s the way we acknowledge, celebrate and participate in what He is accomplishing here on earth.
“When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.” (Matthew 28:17 NIV)
I urge you, in the first few hours of this Resurrection Sunday, to examine your response to the empty tomb and choose worship.
Lord, help us respond to Your resurrection right today. You were dead, and now You are very much alive again. May worship pour out fro our hearts as we consider all the implications of a risen Savior. Be exalted in our praises, O Lord. Be magnified through our songs and prayers. Have Your way in our hearts. Amen.