Momentum For Monday, April 14th 2025

“Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.” (John 20:1)

Before we dig into the heart of today’s momentum, I want to pause and address something. There are some subtle differences in the Gospels on this particular account of the story of the Resurrection. It is suspected that there were multiple visits of the tomb, not just Mary. But regardless, what matters is that the tomb was still empty. Jesus had still risen (okay, moving on…).

What I appreciate about John's account (which is just as much truth as the differing accounts) is a small note about the morning they went to visit the empty tomb. He notes that it was still dark. I think that little statement says a lot.

Jesus had already done the work needed while it was still dark. By the time people realized what happened, it was done. Before night was over, God had already won.

Maybe you're in a place where things are still dark. Easter isn't feeling like a celebration because so many other things are occuring that you need God in the midst of. Take a breather, have some confidence that God is working when it's dark. Maybe it's okay to go ahead and celebrate anyway before you know what God has done.

“Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn’t, and doesn’t, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn’t been so weak, we wouldn’t have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.”

(Romans 5:6-8)