The Empty Tomb’s “Amen”

Readings: Acts 10:34-43. Colossians 3:1-4, Matthew 28:1-10

The “So What?” of Easter

Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed, Alleluia!

That is not just a greeting. That is a declaration that death has been overruled, overturned, and undone.

And yet—if we’re honest—Easter can start to feel… familiar. Predictable. Safe.

We know where the service is going. We know the hymns. We know when to stand and when to sit.

And then tomorrow comes.

And the world doesn’t look all that different.

The same struggles are there. The same fears creep back in. The same sins still cling.

Which raises the question whether we say it out loud or not:

So what?

What difference does it actually make that Jesus walked out of a grave?

Our readings today refuse to let that question sit unanswered.

In Acts of the Apostles 10, Peter doesn’t speak like a man sharing opinions. He says:

“We are witnesses.”

Not, “We think.” Not, “We feel.” Not, “We’ve come to a conclusion.”

“We saw Him.”

Alive.

After the cross. After the burial. After death had done its worst.

And everything hinges on that.

Because if Christ is still in the grave, then everything we’ve been talking about these past weeks—the Catechism, the Commandments, the Creed—it’s all just religious talk.

But if He’s alive—

Then this is not tradition.

This is reality.

The Problem: The Law and the Mirror (Matthew 28)

We began with the Ten Commandments.

And the Law is not gentle with us.

It doesn’t negotiate. It doesn’t excuse. It doesn’t say, “Well, you did your best.”

It tells the truth.

It exposes the gap between who we are and who we are supposed to be.

And if we’re honest, that gap isn’t small.

It shows up in the words we wish we could take back. The people we’ve wounded. The things we’ve done—and the things we’ve left undone.

The Law holds up the mirror and says:

“This is who you are.”

And the verdict is clear:

Guilty.

And not just guilty in theory— but deserving of death.

That’s where Gospel of Matthew 28 meets us.

The women go to the tomb expecting exactly that.

Death.

They are not coming with confidence. They are not coming with hope.

They are coming with spices—because they expect a body.

Because as far as they know, the story is over.

And then everything changes.

The stone is rolled away—not to let Jesus out, but to let them see in. The angel speaks: “He is not here. He has risen.”

That moment is more than surprising.

It is the moment the Law loses its final word.

Because the Law already did its worst.

It condemned. It accused. It demanded death.

And Jesus took it all.

But now the tomb is empty.

Which means:

The payment was accepted. The sacrifice was sufficient. The debt is gone.

Not reduced. Not delayed.

Gone.

And that is why the angel can say:

“Do not be afraid.”

Because if death has been defeated—

What is left to fear?

The Provider: The Creed and Your Identity (Colossians 3)

Now we move from problem… to identity.

And Epistle to the Colossians 3 says something that almost sounds too big to be true:

“You have been raised with Christ.”

Not “you will be someday.”

Not “if everything works out.”

You have been.

That means Easter is not just something that happened to Jesus.

It has happened to you.

Through Him.

Which means your identity has been rewritten.

The world will try to define you.

By your job. By your past. By your failures. By your reputation.

And sometimes, if we’re honest, the harshest voice is our own.

We replay our mistakes. We carry our guilt. We define ourselves by what we wish we could undo.

But the resurrection cuts through all of that.

And says:

“That is not who you are anymore.”

Your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Hidden—meaning safe. Secure. Untouchable by death itself.

And then Paul pushes it even further:

“When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”

In other words—

What happened on that first Easter morning is not the end of the story.

It’s the beginning.

Because His resurrection is not just proof.

It’s a promise.

The Delivery: The Witness and the Means (Acts 10)

But here’s where this becomes deeply personal.

Because it’s one thing to say, “Christ is risen.”

It’s another to know:

“What does that mean for me?”

How does something that happened 2,000 years ago reach you here and now?

Peter answers that in Acts of the Apostles 10:

“Everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.”

And how does that belief come?

Through the witness. Through the Word.

Peter says, “We are witnesses… and we preach.”

The risen Christ sends His message out into the world.

And that message doesn’t just inform you.

It delivers something to you.

Forgiveness. Life. Salvation.

That’s what we’ve been learning in the Catechism.

It’s not a checklist of what you need to do for God.

It’s a blueprint of how God comes to you.

Through water—Baptism. Through bread and wine—the Supper. Through spoken words—Absolution.

Not symbols.

Not reminders.

Delivery.

The living Christ reaching you where you are.

Even when you don’t feel it. Even when you doubt it. Even when you struggle to believe it.

He doesn’t wait for you to climb up to Him.

He comes down.

Again and again and again.

The Empty Tomb’s “Amen”

All of this comes together in one simple word:

Amen.

We say it so often it can lose its weight.

But it means:

“Yes. It is true. It shall be so.”

And Easter is God’s “Amen” to you.

The empty tomb is God saying:

“Yes—your sins are forgiven. Yes—death is defeated. Yes—you belong to Me. Yes—this is finished.”

And in Gospel of Matthew 28, the women don’t just hear it—

They meet Him.

They take hold of His feet.

They worship.

Because the “Amen” is not just a word spoken from heaven.

It is a living Savior standing before them.

And He is still standing.

Still speaking. Still giving. Still saving.

Final Word

So let me say this as clearly as I can.

Because I may not stand here with you on another Easter morning.

You have been given something that does not move.

Everything else in life will.

Pastors come and go. Churches change. Circumstances shift. Bodies weaken.

But this does not change:

Christ is risen.

And because He is risen—

Your Baptism is still real. Your forgiveness is still certain. This Supper is still His body and blood. And your future is still secure.

Don’t drift from that.

Don’t trade it for something easier or more comfortable.

Because when everything else is stripped away—

This is what remains.

Christ. Crucified. Risen. For you.

The tomb is empty. The witnesses have spoken. The promise is yours.

And Christ has the final word over your life.

And that word is this:

Amen.

Gracious risen Lord Jesus,

You have stepped out of the tomb and spoken Your “Amen” over us— that our sins are forgiven, our death is defeated, and our life is secure in You. Fix our hearts where You are, seated at the right hand of the Father, and keep us steadfast in the gifts You have given— Your Word, Your promises, Your body and blood.

When doubt creeps in and the world presses hard, remind us that You are not dead, but living— and that nothing can separate us from You.

Send us out in confidence and peace, holding fast to what is true, until the day we see You face to face.

For You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.