Sermon draft — Christ Is Risen: The Dawn That Changes Everything
Main passage: John 20:1–18
Big idea: Because Jesus truly rose from the dead, grief does not have the final word, faith has a sure foundation, and everyone who meets the risen Christ is sent to tell the good news.
Introduction
“Christ is risen!” It is a joyful greeting, but it is also a claim about what happened in history. On the first Easter morning, Jesus’ tomb was empty—not because his followers had moved his body, not because his spirit had merely lived on in their memories, but because Jesus himself had risen from the dead.
That claim matters. If Jesus remained in the grave, then Easter is only a hopeful symbol. We might admire his teaching, remember his courage, and try to follow his example. But death would still have the final word. Yet John tells us that the grave was empty, that Jesus appeared to his followers, and that Mary Magdalene heard him speak her name. The risen Jesus did not remain an idea. He came to meet real people in their sorrow and confusion.
And that is where the first Easter story begins: not with a crowd celebrating, but with a grieving woman walking to a tomb while it is still dark.
Some of us come to this service with great joy. Others come tired, burdened, or grieving. Some have trusted Christ for many years; others may be wondering what they believe. John’s account speaks to all of us. It shows us the evidence of the resurrection, the compassion of the risen Jesus, and the mission he gives to those who encounter him.
Let’s listen to the story.
1. The empty tomb meets us in the darkness
John begins: “Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark” (John 20:1, ESV).
The detail about the darkness is both practical and powerful. It was early in the morning, before sunrise. But Mary was also walking in the darkness of grief. Jesus, the one she had followed and loved, had been crucified. She had seen him die. Now she came to the place where his body had been laid.
But the stone had been taken away.
Mary did not immediately conclude, “Jesus has risen!” She ran to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him” (John 20:2, ESV). She saw an empty tomb, but her first explanation was that someone had taken the body.
Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb. The other disciple arrived first and looked in. Peter went inside. They saw the linen cloths lying there, and the cloth that had been around Jesus’ head was folded and placed separately. This was not what you would expect if someone had hurriedly stolen a body. The details were not yet enough for them to understand everything, but they mattered. Something had happened that demanded an explanation.
John tells us that the other disciple “saw and believed,” and then adds that “as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead” (John 20:8–9, ESV). They had begun to believe, but their understanding was still growing. They did not have every answer. They had not yet put all the pieces together.
That is an important thing to notice. The first witnesses did not begin with perfect understanding. The resurrection did not happen because they were prepared to believe it. They were faced with something they had not expected, and they needed time to understand what God had done.
The empty tomb is not presented as a comforting feeling that Mary and the disciples created for themselves. It interrupts their expectations. They came expecting death, and instead they found the tomb open and empty. The Christian faith stands on the claim that God acted in history: Jesus, who was crucified and buried, was raised bodily from the dead.
We should be honest about what the empty tomb does and does not do. By itself, it does not answer every question about the Christian faith. Mary first thought the body had been moved. But the empty tomb is a sign that something has happened, and John’s account goes on to show us what: Jesus is alive, and he meets his followers.
Imagine arriving at a place where you expect to find someone, and discovering that they are gone. At first, you might feel alarmed. You would look for clues. You would ask what happened. The absence would not automatically tell you the whole story—but it would mean that the story was not over where you thought it ended.
That is how the first disciples began. They did not yet understand the whole story. But the empty tomb was the beginning of a new understanding: death had not held Jesus.
For those who are exploring Christianity, this is a good place to begin. The Bible does not ask you to pretend that questions do not exist. It invites you to consider the testimony of those who encountered the risen Jesus. Read the account. Notice what it says and what it does not say. The disciples were not ready-made heroes of faith; they were people trying to make sense of what they saw.
And for those who are grieving, the empty tomb does not mean that grief is wrong or that loss should be easy. Mary was still weeping. Easter does not ask us to deny the pain of death. It tells us that death is real, but it is not ultimate. Because Jesus rose, those who belong to him have a hope that reaches beyond the grave.
The empty tomb meets us in the darkness—not by pretending the darkness is not there, but by announcing that God has done what we could not do. Jesus is alive.
2. The risen Jesus meets us personally
After Peter and the other disciple returned home, Mary remained at the tomb, weeping. She looked inside and saw two angels sitting where Jesus’ body had been. They asked her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She answered, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him” (John 20:13, ESV).
Mary turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not recognize him. She thought he was the gardener. Jesus asked her the same question: “Woman, why are you weeping?” Then he added, “Whom are you seeking?” (John 20:15, ESV).
Mary was seeking a body. She was trying to find the Jesus she believed she had lost. She could not yet imagine that the man in front of her was the very Jesus she sought.
Then Jesus said one word: “Mary” (John 20:16).
And she knew him.
There is something deeply personal in that moment. The risen Christ does not simply announce a general truth to the world; he speaks to a grieving woman by name. Mary recognizes him when he calls her. The good news of Easter is public and historical, but it is also personal. Jesus knows his people. He meets them in their sorrow and calls them to himself.
Mary responds, “Rabboni!”—which means Teacher (John 20:16). Her sorrow has not been dismissed as foolish. She is not told that she should never have wept. Instead, the risen Jesus comes to her and turns her grief toward hope.
Jesus tells her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God’” (John 20:17, ESV). Jesus is not saying that Mary must never touch him. He is directing her away from holding on to him as though everything could simply return to how it had been before. The risen Jesus is about to return to the Father, and Mary has a task: she must go and tell the others.
Notice the grace in Jesus’ words. He calls the disciples “my brothers.” They had failed him. One had denied him; the others had fled. Yet the risen Lord speaks of them as his brothers. His resurrection does not mean that he has discarded his followers. He comes with mercy and restores them to a relationship with him.
The same mercy is at the heart of the Christian gospel. We do not earn our way back to God by proving ourselves worthy. We come as sinners who need grace. Jesus died for sinners, and he rose again. Through faith in him, we are forgiven and welcomed into God’s family—not because we have never failed, but because Christ has done what we could never do for ourselves.
Think of the difference between hearing a voice in a crowded room and hearing someone you love say your name. The same words may be spoken, but you recognize the one who knows you. John’s account brings us close to that moment: Mary is not left with a puzzle or an idea. She is addressed by the living Lord.
We should be careful not to promise that every person will have a dramatic experience just like Mary’s. The Bible does not tell us to measure faith by whether we hear an audible voice or feel a particular emotion. The risen Jesus is made known to us through the testimony of Scripture, by the work of the Holy Spirit, and as we trust in him. Some people come to faith suddenly; for others, understanding grows over time. But the promise remains: Christ is not merely a distant figure from the past. He is alive, and all who come to him in faith are welcomed by him.
Perhaps you feel that you are only known by your responsibilities, your achievements, or your mistakes. Perhaps you have carried shame so long that you cannot imagine being welcomed by God. Hear the good news: Jesus died and rose to save sinners. His invitation is not, “Make yourself good enough, and then come.” It is, “Come to me.” Turn from sin and trust in Christ. The risen Lord is able to forgive and make you new.
And perhaps you are grieving today. The resurrection does not always remove our tears in an instant. Mary was still weeping when Jesus met her. But her tears were no longer the whole story. Because Christ is risen, grief can be held in the presence of hope. We may sorrow, but we do not sorrow without hope.
3. Those who meet the risen Christ are sent to tell
Mary’s response to meeting Jesus is immediate: “Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord’” (John 20:18, ESV). Then she told them what he had said to her.
She went from the tomb as a mourner searching for a body. She returned as a witness announcing that she had seen the Lord.
Mary did not have an elaborate speech. She did not explain every doctrine of the resurrection. She gave a clear testimony: “I have seen the Lord.” She shared what had happened and what Jesus had told her.
That simple message is at the center of Christian witness. We do not tell people that we have solved every mystery or that Christians never suffer. We tell them that Jesus Christ, who was crucified, is risen. We tell them that he offers forgiveness and life. We invite them to hear the testimony of Scripture and to trust him.
The resurrection also gives Mary a new purpose. Jesus does not tell her to stay at the tomb and keep hold of the moment. He sends her to the disciples. The news is too good to keep to herself.
The good news of Easter is not only that Jesus is alive; it is that he is alive for us. His resurrection declares that his sacrifice for sin was not defeated by death. It gives hope to those who trust him and points toward the day when death itself will be defeated. The message that began with Mary continues to be carried by ordinary people—parents and children, young and old, those who have followed Jesus for decades and those who have only recently begun to believe.
Consider a family receiving important news. One person learns that a loved one is safe after everyone feared the worst. The natural response is to tell the others: “We’ve heard from them. They’re safe.” The news is not shared because the messenger has a polished performance. It is shared because it matters, and because others need to hear it.
In the same way, you do not need to be a trained speaker to speak about Jesus. A child can say, “Jesus is alive, and I’m learning to trust him.” A parent can speak about the hope of Christ at home. A friend can offer to read John’s Gospel with someone who has questions. A believer who has walked through grief can say, “My hope is in Jesus, who rose from the dead.” You can serve faithfully, answer honestly, and invite someone to church. The aim is not to pressure people or pretend to have answers you do not have. It is to point to Christ.
Our witness should also be shaped by the message we proclaim. The risen Jesus met Mary with compassion. So we should speak about him with compassion. We are not called to boast as if we have saved ourselves, or to treat those who doubt as enemies. We are people who need grace, telling others where grace is found.
Some of us may feel that we have little to offer. Mary’s first words were not a carefully prepared argument. They were a truthful report of what she had experienced. The strength of Christian witness does not come from the messenger being impressive. It comes from the truth of the message: Jesus Christ is risen.
And some may wonder whether the Christian message is worth passing on in a world filled with competing beliefs and painful realities. John’s account answers by showing us what the resurrection means. It means that Jesus is not a failed teacher whose influence survives only in memory. It means that the cross was not the end. It means that death does not have the last word. It means that the living Christ is worthy of our faith, our worship, and our lives.
Mary went and announced, “I have seen the Lord.” We have not seen Jesus in the way she did, but we have her testimony and the witness of the Scriptures. We are called to believe that testimony, to build our lives on Christ, and to share the good news with others.
Conclusion
On that first Easter morning, Mary came to the tomb in darkness, expecting to find death. She saw the empty tomb, but did not yet understand. She wept, believing that she had lost her Lord. Then Jesus called her by name. And the woman who arrived searching for a body left to announce that the Lord was alive.
That is the movement of this passage: the empty tomb, the personal meeting with Jesus, and the message carried to others.
The resurrection does not tell us that life will never be painful. Mary wept. The disciples were confused. The road ahead would still include hardship. But Easter tells us that our pain and our death are not beyond the reach of God. Jesus has gone through death and come out alive. Those who belong to him have a sure hope.
If you have not trusted Jesus, the invitation is to come to him. You do not need to clean yourself up before you approach him. Admit your need. Turn from sin, and trust in Jesus Christ—crucified for sinners and raised from the dead. He offers forgiveness, peace with God, and life that death cannot finally take away.
If you already belong to Christ, let Easter strengthen your faith. The Lord who called Mary by name is not absent or powerless. He is risen. In your grief, in your questions, in your service, and in your ordinary days, hold fast to him. And then carry the news: Jesus is alive.
Call to response
Let me ask you: What are you doing with the news that Jesus is risen?
If you are still exploring, don’t dismiss the claim without hearing it. Read John 20. Consider the witnesses. Ask your questions. And ask God to help you see the truth about Jesus. Most of all, come to Christ in faith: trust the one who died and rose again for sinners.
If you are ready to trust him today, you can pray in your own words: “Lord Jesus, I need your forgiveness. I believe you died for sinners and rose again. I turn from my sin and trust you. Please forgive me, make me yours, and teach me to follow you.” A prayer does not save by its wording; Christ saves those who trust in him.
And if you are a Christian, ask whom you can encourage with the good news this week. You may not have every answer, but you can say with Mary, “I have seen the Lord”—and tell what you know of the risen Christ.
Closing prayer
Risen Lord Jesus, thank you that you went to the cross for sinners and that the grave could not hold you. Meet those who are grieving with your comfort, those who are searching with your truth, and those who trust you with renewed hope. Forgive us, strengthen our faith, and help us to share the good news with humility and love. May our lives declare that you are alive. Amen.