Empowered by the Resurrection: Go and Tell

There’s something about this time of year. The light lingers a little longer, the ground softens, and the air carries a quiet promise. Something new is on its way. Even if the trees aren’t fully in bloom yet, you can feel it. Resurrection is already in the air. 

Next week, we step into the Easter story. Mary Magdalene arrives at the tomb in the light of early morning. She comes grieving, disoriented, not yet knowing that the world has already changed. Mary even mistakes Jesus for the gardener. Little does she know what’s about to happen in this garden. That resurrection isn’t just about life after death, but about new creation. About the remaking of the world.  

And then Jesus calls her by name. In that moment, resurrection becomes real. 

What I love about this story is that it doesn’t end there. Mary is sent. “Go and tell.” Resurrection doesn’t stay contained in the garden. It moves outward. It becomes a love that refuses to stay quiet. That’s where we’re headed together. 

Easter Sunday at Bethany will be full of joy, music, and life. We’ll gather at 9:00 and 10:30. The sanctuary will ring with songs and we will remember what matters most: that love that is stronger than death, that justice prevails, and that God calls each of us by name. This is a day to come as you are, to bring your whole self, and to be reminded that your life and your voice matters deeply in the story of God’s work in the world. 

We are not just celebrating something that happened long ago. We are stepping into a way of life. We are a people who speak with courage, who act with compassion, and who show up for our neighbors with bold, Spirit-filled love. 

This is the kind of church we are at Bethany. I invite us all to be part of it. Come celebrate. Come sing. Come be renewed. And, together, let’s go and tell. 

Check out my song of the week to go along with the text! Dreamers and Doubters by Sharon Singers 

Peace, 

Pastor Katie