Three years ago when this Mathew text was the lectionary text for Easter, my blog reflections were that it might be fun to preach on the angel sitting on the stone one year. This was the year! Earlier in the week, I taught the lectionary texts to a men's Bible study, so I had a lot of material for the sermon. Maybe too much material. The sermon could have been stronger if I had just focused on one aspect Probably any of the main points in the the sermon below could have been amplified and been the whole topic of the sermon.
We had two services on Easter, so I preached it twice. It went much better the second time. I had forgotten what it was like to get a second shot at preaching the sermon (for 17 years in OH, I preached two services every Sunday). We had a lot of stuff happening with guest musicians arriving, etc, so I did not get to go through the sermon like I typically early on Sunday morning.
I think that some of the shifts in emphasis and presentation between the first service and the second would have happened for the first service if I had been on my normal schedule. that, of course, is on me since I could/should have had the sermon closer to the finish line on Friday! For example, the text in pink near the end of the sermon was left out of the sermon I preached in the second service. It seemed redundant as I heard it in the first service. it also means that the ending of the sermon was different than what is in the text below, but I can't really remember how I finished the sermon the second time.
“Sitting on the Stone” Matthew 28: 1-10; St. Andrew Presbyterian Church; Easter 2026
Matthew 28: 1-10
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 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.”
8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
Introduction: as you know, each of the four gospels has unique ways of telling the Easter story,
the story of Christ’s resurrection,
the story of the empty tomb.
The gospel of Mark - a very abrupt ending with the witnesses afraid and nothing else. In fact, the early church has to add to the story tthe original ending
Luke - we have a whole group of women go to the tomb
Gospel of John great line - Mary Magdalene going to the disciples sying : “I have seen the Lord!”
You may have noticed as we read the gospel of Matthew’s version, it has a couple of unique aspects aspects as well to it - the earthquake and the angel sitting on the stone.
Letks take few moments and reflect on those unique aspects this morning.
Move 1: an earthquake
a. Now it makes sense that the gospel of matthew has an earthquake at the empty tomb because it parallels the earthquake that only Matthew has in his story of the crucifixion.
1. But it’s more than just parallelism.
2. the earthquake,
the angel in bright white,
and the stone-turned-seat announce to the world that God has fundamentally changed reality as we know it.
1. the Resurrection of Christ not a just a happy ending as if a screen writer needed to find a happy ending to the story of Jesus who was done wrong by the world.
1. The resurrection of Christ not our private story
3. The empty tomb tells us that
The "powers that be"—represented by the heavy stone, the Roman seal, and the guards—have been rendered powerless.
The God of reurr3ctuon has come into the world and turned it upside down.
b. We come to church on Easter morning for lots of reasons,
maybe to show off your new bow tie, like I did, or some other new Easter outfit.
we coem to hear glorious music
maybe share this time wiht family or friends
all sorts reasons we show up for Easter owrship,
but we also show up, as John Buchanan (friend of this congregation and former moderator of the PCUSA) used to day,
we show up on Easter to be reminded and to declare to the world “that there is no tragedy that God cannot redeem, no loss that the Risen Christ cannot overcome, no dream – even the elusive dream of peace on earth m– that the God who raised Jesus from the dead cannot energize and advance.” (John Buchanan in April 5, 2003 christian Century)
It empty tomb changes how we view and how we act in the world.
1. we dare to pray for peace, even when it seems impossible, because Christ is risen.
2. We commit to battling the injustice in our world even when it seems that the odds are oeverwhelming, because the God of resurrection is still at work.
3. We can find hope in the midst our despair and grief becasue the tomb is empty.
3. We can take that first step in making the difficult change in our life so desperately needs because the tomb is empty.
4. The empty tomb does not mean that suddenly we can make things happen on our own, but because the God of resurrection has acted and continues to act in and through us.
The earthquake tells us that the world has been changed forever beCause we follow a God of resurrection.
Move 2: what do you think of the Angel sitting on the stone.
Maybe just resting after having moved the stone?
i wonder if he sitting straight up, like at attention.
or maybe rocking like heksnout sunbathing?
a. Maybe Sitting in there in triumph
1. The angel sitting there as sign for all to see that God is victorious over death.
the stone,
the guards,
the pattern of life and death the world has put into place -
none of those can stand in the way of the God of resurrection.
2. A sign of victory, but not a triumphalism that is about using power over others.
God’s victory over sin and death is not an invitation for Christ’s followers to lord it over everyone else,
or impose their will on the rest of the world.
or to think we now have some sort of super power we can put to use whenever we want and against whomever.
If we decide to follow the resurrected Christ from the empty tomb, the angel sitting on the stone says, “Go to Galilee.”
Go to live among the people.
Go minister to the people.
The resurrected Christ sends his followers into the world to be the body of Christ and serve others.
3. The angel sitting on the stone signals to the world that the God has overwhelmed sin and death with love,
and God sends us into the world to share that love.
b. Maybe the angel’s purpose sitting on the stone is to say,
“Welcome to the empty tomb.”
1. I read an author recently who likens the angel sitting on the stone to a museum docent,
inviting the women that morning,
Come and see the place where he lay.
inviting us today,
to peer inside the the tomb and see that it is empty
to see what God has done,
so we might believe in the God of resurrection.
2. The angel welcoming any and all to this new life of following the resurrected Christ.
3. The angel is not there to teach what a resurrection is,
or demand that we believe,
No coercion involved - just the angel sitting there pointing and inviting us to see for ourselves what the God of resurrection has done.
4. The angel modeling for us our calling as disciples of Christ - not to coerce or force people to believe,
but to witness to what the God of resurrection has done
and is continuing to do by showing God’s love to others,
extending ourselves to those in need,
building bridges that overcome the barriers that separate.
c. I sort of like the idea of the angel sitting up there watching as the people come by and respond to the empty tomb.
1. Not watching and waiting to judge,
but watching and wondering how we will respond.
2. compare the two groups of people the Gospel of Matthew mentions:
the guards - they are shaking at the sight of the empty tomb and acting like dead men.
they have no clue what to do with a resurrection, but they know it threatens the very power they represent and support.
Instead of going into the world to follow the resurrected christ, they will soon be concocting stories about about how Jesus’ followers had stolen the body.
but look at what the two Mary’s do
- they too are afrad,
but they see the empty tomb,
they hear the words of the angel to not be afraid,
and they race off into the world to figure out what it means to follow the resurrected Christ.
Two very different responses.
d. How are you going to respond to the empty tomb?
1. I read an article recently that noted: “Easter is that time of year when Christians ask themselves two questions.
Do I really believe all this stuff?
And if so, why do I live this way?” Shawnthea Monroe, “Reflections on the Lectionary,” Christian Century, 3/16/16, 23)
2. the angel sitting on the stone has shown the women the empty tomb
the angel has shared the amazing news that Christ is risen
the angel has sent the women off to tell others and to go join Jesus in Galilee.
his final words to them were, “now I have told you.”
then he sits, watching to see what they will will do.
Conclusion: the angel has told us.
christ is risen!
What will you do?
Amen.
34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
39 “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
Announcement at the tomb: the stone has been removed from the entrance to the tomb.
The angel sitting on the stone invites us to look in
The tomb is empty
Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed.
Words of Invitation: Richard: Gluten free; stations
Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;
Christ our Savior has been riased from the dead.
therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia!
Prayer after communion: Thank you, O God, for giving us communion with our risen and glorious Lord. Now send us out to be a sign of the new life that has come into the world; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
Baptism: Esmee - in baptism you are united with Christ in his death and resurrection - whch means God has chosen to be in realtionship with you for the rest of your life and beyond.
those are long-term implications far beyond any particular moment.
But in this monet, you look out and see those who have stood with you at yoru baptism - they have committed to walk with you as you follow the resurrected Chrsti into the world;
but you also commit to joining with them as we all live into the new life to which god calls us.
Let us pray.
