“Why do you seek the living among the dead?” sounds like a chastisement. Until we remember that the only reason that ANYone knows that Jesus’ tomb is empty is because a whole crew of faithful women showed up at the place of death, with the intention of attending to the dead. Indeed, it is only by returning again and again to the tombs of today’s Empires that we can be gathered as resurrection communities who follow Jesus’ call to “storm the gates of Hades” which shall never prevail against us. May we keep seeking (and finding!) the living (and life!) among the dead (and places of death!). May we do so until every gate to hell is crumbled and ALL are free.

Sermon begins at minute marker 2:12

Luke 24.1-12

Resources:

• BibleWorm podcast: Episode 638 – Remember What He Told You, Amy Robertson and Robert Williamson, Jr.
• “Not the story we wanted: An Easter and arrest story,” an emailed letter from Chris Hoke, Underground Ministries, April 18, 2025.
• Learn more about La Resistencia - “No estan solos; You are not alone.”
• Learn more about Community of Hope Mennonite Church in Bellingham WA - with gratitude for Pastor Rachael Weasley’s words, shared from a letter.
• Image: table turning at the Northwest Detention Center; Mennonite Action “God’s Love Knows No Borders” sign visible, April 2025