One of the things that always surprises me with the Easter stories is how few lines Jesus gets. Jesus isn’t present at all in Luke or Mark, he has a small part in Matthew, and they don’t recognize him in John! For it being his resurrection, I’m surprised we don’t get more Jesus in these stories! Since Jesus doesn’t get a lot of stage time, this allows others to share the good news. The angels, the same ones who told the shepherds that Jesus had been born, share the news that he has risen. In classic Luke fashion, the women are the ones to hear this news first and it is the women who tell the remaining 11 disciples. God is continually looking for ways to involve others in this story and the sharing of this good news. Like the angels and the women, how has God invited us to be active participants in the telling of this story? 

I love how the angels tell the women that they are looking for the living where you would only find death. Now to be fair, they believe that they will find a corpse, not a living creature. The angels’ redirect their search from a place of death to a place of life. I think we need to hear this part of the story over and over again. How often do we allow ourselves to be overwhelmed with things that take life instead of things that give life? This is such a part of our daily lives that it’s almost a crisis. Who will redirect us from a place of death to a place of life? What will we need to let go of? 

The angels recap the story and when they do, the women remember. What helps you remember? Who are the voices that remind you of God’s faithfulness and power over everything? Do you seek out those voices and desire to hear what they have to say, or are you too drawn to the places that speak of death and pessimism? 

Do you think the women were bummed out by the reaction of their friends.? Aside from Peter, they hear it as an idle tale and don’t believe. But at some point people believed because we know this story today. Someone believed and someone shared. 

Peter is amazed at what he sees. What amazes you? How often are you amazed? Should we be amazed every day, all the time, or is amazement elusive and hard to find?