Reflection - Do Not Be Afraid - Christ Goes Ahead of Us

Reflection for Easter Sunday - [Matt 28:1-10] 

by Rev Bruce Moore, Moderator

Early on the first day of the week, as the light of dawn begins to break, two women walk towards a tomb.

Matthew tells us they come carrying grief, shock, and uncertainty. They are not expecting a miracle. They are simply doing the next faithful thing they know to do. As far as they understand, the story has ended.

And yet, before they can even speak, they are met with words that echo through the whole Easter story: “Do not be afraid.”

Those words are not spoken because everything has suddenly become clear or safe. They are spoken in the midst of fear, confusion, and upheaval. The ground is still shaking. The future is still unknown. And yet God is already at work.

Easter begins not with certainty, but with courage.

The empty tomb does not remove all questions. Instead, it opens a new way forward. The women are told not to remain at the place of death, but to go - to move back into life, back into the world, back to Galilee. Galilee, the place of ordinary days - work and family, neighbours and markets, boats and dusty roads.

It is there, during everyday life, that they are promised they will see Jesus again. That detail matters!

Because Easter does not invite us to escape the world as it is. It sends us back into it - changed, hopeful, and trusting that Christ is already ahead of us.

Many people today live somewhere close to that first Easter morning. Our world carries anxiety. Communities can feel fragile. The images and stories of war, injustice, and division weigh heavily. Many wonder what kind of future we are moving towards, and what kind of world we are leaving for those who come after us.

Like those first disciples, we would often like to see the whole road ahead. But faith rarely works that way.

More often, it is like walking at dawn - when the light is just beginning to rise. You cannot see far ahead, but there is enough light to take the next step.

Easter assures us that this is enough.

The resurrection does not deny the reality of suffering, fear, or loss. Instead, it declares that none of these have the final word. Life is stronger than death. Hope is stronger than fear and God’s future is already unfolding - even when we cannot yet see it clearly.

The risen Jesus meets the women on the road. Not once everything is settled, but while they are still unsure. Still afraid. Still moving forward in trust.  And he sends them as bearers of good news.

So perhaps faith this Easter is simply this: Taking the next step. Choosing compassion where fear would be easier. Offering kindness where the world feels harsh. Living as people who trust that Christ goes ahead of us - into our communities, our decisions, our challenges, and our shared future.

Wherever this Easter finds you - joyful or weary, hopeful or uncertain -hear again the words spoken at the empty tomb:

Do not be afraid.  Christ is risen.  And Christ goes ahead of us.

Grace, love and peace to you this Easter.

Rev Bruce Moore, Moderator