Holy One,
We, like the women at the tomb, have borne witness to death in many forms.
We have encountered violence.
We have carried grief.
We have resigned ourselves.
And so, even though we have heard this story many times,
it is now
as always
unexpected–
That there would be no stone to roll away,
no death shroud to unwrap,
no body to receive the carefully prepared spices.
That there is only the familiar and utterly surprising voice
echoing off the stone walls of the empty tomb
reminding us:
Violence does not have the power we think;
You wipe away our tears;
You destroy the shrouds of death.
There are only the words we know yet so often forget:
“Jesus of Nazareth is not here, he has been raised.”
Thanks be to you, O God.
Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
Amen.