“Move That Stone!”
Mark 16:1-8
Rev. Christopher English

It’s Friday night at the cross of Jesus. 

Despair settled in as heavy as the darkness.

The close followers of Jesus, His disciples, the ones who should have understood that Christ had to die, and that death was not going to be the final word, well most of them didn’t even show up to the crucifixion!  
They were all hiding in fear.  “I don’t understand,” they were thinking, “I thought we were special in God’s eyes?  I thought Christ promised us that we were going to reign with Him in victory?  How can being a follower of Christ include such deep disappointment, such sorrow?”  

And so this group of disenchanted followers had already slipped off into the darkness away from the cross.

It’s Friday night at the cross, and those that had hoped that this Jesus was indeed the long-awaited Messiah who would restore Israel to freedom from Roman rule wagged their heads in mocking cynicism. “I knew he was another good-for-nothing fake! How could I have been fooled again? It will be a long time before I trust someone claiming to speak for God!  Fool me once, shame on you…fool me twice, shame on me!”  

And so this crowd of hardened cynics slipped off into the darkness away from the cross.

It’s Friday night at the cross, and the Jewish religious leaders who saw Christ only as a threat to their positions of power, or a troublemaker who might lead to the Jewish people being once again be exiled, saw in Christ’s death proof that their disbelief was well founded.

“You see,” they declared in their arrogant hopelessness, “All this talk of God’s power, and resurrection, and a new life of joy and freedom; it was all a lot of false promises!  Sure our God exists, and we are His people, but all that means is that someday we’ll get the rewards that God has promised.

But for right now, all we can depend on in this life is hard work, self-discipline, maybe family and friends, and sometimes just barely making it through another day when sorrow or sin is in control!”  And so this crowd of scoffers slipped off into the darkness away from the cross.

Only a small group of women were left at the foot of the cross that Friday night.  Included in this group was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of Jesus.   Most of this group had been with Jesus all through his three years of ministry, His mom since his birth.  They had cared for him emotionally, physically, and financially.  

They had poured their heart into him and his promises.  Their hearts now didn’t go to fear, or cynicism, or scoffing. They trembled there in the darkness, paralyzed with grief, dazed in inconsolable confusion, no longer expecting a miracle!

And so this Friday night story is a story of many who slipped away from the Crucified one because of confirmed hopelessness, broken hearts, crushed expectations, and shattered dreams.   It’s a story of some who simply settled for a powerless faith.  And so perhaps it is your story as well…


It’s Friday night in the world…

It’s Friday night, and Bud and Jane are standing beside the coffin of their 14 year old daughter as people make their way past them at the viewing.  Deep in their hearts, dark questions begin to take root, “I don’t understand,” they were thinking, “I thought we were special in God’s eyes?  I thought Christ promised us that we were going to reign with Him in victory?  How can being a follower of Christ include such deep disappointment, such sorrow?”  

These hard questions and dark emotions are never dealt with, and so disenchanted Bud and Jane slowly slip away from the cross.

It’s Friday night, and small group of college students gather at a downtown coffee house.  Their conversation turns to politics and religion.  Ashley pipes in, “Yea, I use to go to church.  But then I started having all these questions about how the Bible contradicts itself, about injustice, and about other world religions, and nobody wanted to talk with me about them.  Then, when I got pregnant before I was married, wow, it was like I was a leper or something.  I knew those Christians were just a bunch of fakes!  It will be a long time before I trust someone claiming to speak for God!  Fool me once, shame on you…fool me twice, shame on me!”  

And so Ashley, a hurting and hardened cynic, slips further into the darkness away from the cross.

It’s 3 am, Friday night, and 24 year old Barry is home all alone in his inner city one room efficiency apartment.  Once again he sits in the darkness thinking to himself, “I could die right now, and no one would even know for weeks!”  His life is one of drugs, alcohol, pornography, and hopelessness.  “Sure I know God exists, he ponders, and maybe heaven will be nice, but right now He’s a distant, uninvolved God, and all I can depend on is myself, and this bottle and pipe to numb the sorrow and loneliness!”   

And so this scoffer slips further into the darkness away from the cross.

It’s Friday night in Dubuque, a small group of women are at the church making preparations for the Sunday Communion service.   The conversation is light and friendly.  But the painful ponderings in their heart tell a different story.  

Mildred, recently widowed, is deeply burdened about her adult son who wants nothing to do with Christ.  Maria recently became a Christian and still secretly struggles with an eating disorder.  Roberta, a young married woman, struggles with intimacy with her husband because she bears the deep wounds of being sexually abused as a young girl.  


These three women come to church faithfully week after week, dutifully serving and worshipping God.  They never come to worship expecting to actually have a life-changing encounter with God!  They never come to worship expecting an encounter with a Risen Lord who has the power to tear down the dark forces that keeps a son in darkness!  They never come to worship expecting an encounter an encounter with the Crucified One who longs to set free God’s children from every life-controlling bondage!  They never come to worship expecting an encounter an encounter with the Resurrected One who longs to pour His healing grace into the hidden places of our pain and sorrow.

They simply settle for a powerless faith…


It’s Sunday morning at the tomb!

It’s Sunday morning at the tomb where they had laid Jesus to rest.  The sun has just risen over the horizon and new morning light begins to shine.  Three of the women who stayed at the foot of the cross as long as they were able to stand, now are making their way to the tomb, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome. But they came with downcast eyes and grieving hearts.  

They did not come expecting a miracle.  They are talking among themselves, “Who is going to roll away the large stone that seals the tomb shut?  We sure can’t.  We don’t have the strength! Who is going to roll away the stone from the tomb?”

It’s Sunday morning at another tomb just a week before this story takes place.  Jesus, just six days before His crucifixion, is standing before the tomb of a close friend Lazarus, and he is weeping in grief.  Christ knows that he too will soon be laid in a rock grave behind a large stone sealing a tomb.

But Christ also knows that death for him will not have the final say!  Christ also knows that death for every child of God like His friend Lazarus will not have the final say.  Christ knows that God has a plan!  

Video clip: “God Has a Plan”

Alleluia!  God has a plan, and His plan was and still is resurrection!

As the three women reach the tomb, they see a tall, muscular man all dressed in white so bright it hurt their eyes standing at the entrance of the tomb…and the stone that had once sealed Christ’s tomb of death had been rolled away!  The women were about to have a panic attack, when the angel declares, “"Don't be alarmed!" "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. Come and see the place where they laid him.”  

They go into the tomb. The linens that once wrapped around the dead body of Jesus were neatly folded on the stone slab where Christ had once laid.  The tomb is empty!    

Now Christ didn’t need to have this stone moved in order to get out of the grave.  This is the same Resurrected Jesus we see walking through walls in later visits!  The stone was rolled away so that the three women could see into the tomb and know that Christ was alive!

Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed!  Let us stand and declare aloud in worship this glorious truth!


It’s Sunday morning in your life!

It was Sunday morning at the tomb.  It was an empty tomb because the Crucified Christ had become the Resurrected Christ!

Now let’s bring all this good news down to where it really matters.  If Jesus Christ is really alive then it should make a difference, a monumental difference in our life and in the dark world!  

So friends, do you really believe that Christ is alive, not just in heaven, but by the Holy Spirit alive on planet earth, alive in the Church of Jesus Christ, alive in this room this morning, ready, willing, and able to forgive every sin, to give you new life by filling you with the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit, alive in this place right now with the compassion and the power to heal physically and emotionally, to restore broken relationships, to revive smoldering-wick faith, to empower you with miracle-working power.

The “Bud’s” and “Jane’s” of this world, those who have slipped away from a close relationship with God and active fellowship with God’s people due to deep, unprocessed grief and questions, need to know that Christ is alive and longs to resurrect their smoldering-wick faith.  I can stand before you today and declare with certainty that Christ does resurrect even the weakest of faith.

My wife Kelly and I…

The “Ashley’s” of the world, those that have tired Christianity only to discover a shallow, legalistic, cold version of such that exists in so many Churches in America, need to know that Christianity is not rules but relationship, not Law but love, not greediness but grace, not programs but the Resurrection power of Christ!

The “Mildred’s,” “Maria’s,” and “Roberta’s” of the world, those Christians who come to a worship service week after week dutiful serving God, but never expecting a miracle, need to know that Father God doesn’t want dutiful service, but delightful surrender.  They need to know that the Word of God is not just propositions to be understood or just principles to be applied, but that God’s Word is full of life-changing promises to be claimed in power!  

They need to know that Christ is not a distant taskmaster, but a reigning king who is present every time they come to worship with the compassion and the power to heal their deepest wounds and free them from every life-controlling addiction!

The “Barry’s” of this world, those trapped in bondage in the darkness of this world who just don’t believe that Christ or Christianity has any relevance or power need to know the same thing!  I can stand here today and declare to you with certainty that Christ longs to set you free, to give you new life, to show you a love that you never dared believe even exists, because friends I was a “Barry.”

Personal testimony…  It was Sunday morning…

So how many here want it to be a Sunday morning of new Resurrection power in your life?  

When Jesus stood weeping before the stone tomb of Lazarus his close friend, the Bible tells us He was moved with compassion and he told the people to “move that stone” that was sealing up Lazarus’ tomb.  Martha started quoting theology to Christ, “Jesus I know that in the future you will raise up my brother, but I understand that all you can offer right now is comfort.”  And Jesus shot back, “No you don’t understand, I offer more than just comfort, I am the Resurrection and the Life, now move that stone!”  

Others were arguing with Jesus, “No Jesus you don’t understand, if we move that stone and let you into the dark, hidden places of our life, it will stink too bad, hurt too much…Lazarus has been dead four days!”  Christ commanded again, “Move that stone and you will see the glory of God!

So the stone was moved and Christ called Lazarus out of the grave and back into life!

One of my favorite shows is “Extreme Makeover…The Home Edition”…“move that bus!”

I am going to invite you now to be bold and let today be the day that you begin to claim the promises of God in power in your life.   I am going to present to you four categories where some of you toady are struggling, and you don’t believe that these dead dreams can ever be resurrected.  So we’re going to shout aloud together in response to each of these areas, “Jesus, move that stone!", and claim God’s resurrection power and promises!

Some of you have…
  -  Broken Relationships.....         "Jesus, move that stone!"
  -  Life-controlling behaviors.....         "Jesus, move that stone!"
  -  Shame, unforgiveness, unhealed deep wounds.....         "Jesus, move that stone!"
  -  Shattered Dreams and Disappointment with God and others .....         "Jesus, move that stone!"

Let us pray…