On True Power
Easter Morning
April 5, 2026
Rev. Traceymay Kalvaitis
Matthew 28:1-10
After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers and sisters to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
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Today’s sermon is titled On True Power. This past week I have been setting my alarm earlier than usual. I knew that Easter morning I would need to be ready for the Sunrise Service at 6 so I’ve been considering the early rising as part of the preparations for today. The very early morning is turning into my favorite time of day for a few reasons, but mostly because of a phenomenon called the blue hour. In truth, the blue hour only lasts about 20 minutes and it is worth getting up for, I assure you. Before there is any hint whatsoever of the golden light of the sun, when the sun is still a few degrees below the horizon (4-8 degrees, the scientists say), the sky and everything under it is lit with a magnificent blue.* I’m sharing this with you for two reasons. If you have never experienced it, I invite you to. Secondly, I invite you to consider, especially on this Easter morning, that it is often the unseen forces at work in the world that have the most profound effects.
When Mary and Mary Magdalene came to the tomb they were most affected by what they did not see, and that’s really saying something because what they saw and what they experienced was shocking enough. Upon their arrival to the tomb, according to the scriptures, we read, “there was a great earthquake…an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning and his clothing white as snow.” “Do not be afraid’” the angel said, “I know who you are looking for and he is not here.” We would naturally imagine that the women would have been very surprised to hear this news.
In my studies this week, Friend and colleague, theologian Matthew Myers Bolton called my attention to an important detail in the story that differs from the other accounts as recorded in Mark and in Luke; in those accounts, the women bring burial spices with them to the tomb, apparently expecting to find Jesus’s body.
In the account from the Gospel of Matthew there is no mention of the women bringing spices to anoint Jesus’s body. It is worth considering that the women may well have come with an expectation that the events were unfolding just as Jesus had told them they would. After all, it was Mary who was the first of Jesus’s disciples to accept that what he was saying, over and over again, was true, that he would undergo great suffering, be put to death, and rise on the third day. The other disciples simply could not believe him. It was the same Mary who came to the tomb that morning, the same Mary, sister to Martha and Lazarus, the same Mary who spent a year’s worth of wages to purchase the rare oil of spikenard. Mary anointed Jesus’s feet with the rare oil that was used primarily to anoint the dead, and then, as we read in the Gospel of John, she used her own hair to wipe his feet. In doing this, Mary shows Jesus (and the rest of his disciples) that she believed what he said; she believed that he would suffer a violent death but death would not be able to hold him.
Friends, let’s consider the theory that these women came to the tomb expecting him not to be there. Let’s consider, since they really knew him, since they were some of his closest, most cherished friends, that they had seen and heard enough to be convinced that anything was possible. Now… let’s consider, on this Easter morning, what the trustful expectations of these two women can reveal to us about the source of true power because at the very heart of the Easter story we find a power struggle of epic proportions.
The context for the Easter story is vitally important. The occupying forces of the Roman Empire are in power. Rome is 2500 miles away, so holding on to power in the region would be impossible without the help of leadership within the Jewish temple. The Roman Empire promises protection from invading forces in exchange for heavy taxes and just enough “freedom” to keep the population in line without enough freedom for them to thrive. It’s the same old story, isn’t it? Jesus grew up under the foreign occupation of an oppressive regime and when he came of age and began to call Jewish leadership in the temple to account for their complicity with the Romans, he threatened the fragile peace that had been established. When Jesus began to heal the lame and restore sight to the blind his following grew and grew until it was agreed that something must be done. He must be silenced. He must disappear. He is arrested and put to a violent death in a public display in order to show his followers that the power of empire will prevail.
The Easter story reveals to us that the power of empire did not prevail…not then and not now. One of my teachers, Ralph Waldo Emerson, wrote an essay titled “Power” and he asserts that violence is not power; violence is the absence of power. True power is life-giving. True power is used to liberate, to sustain. True power doesn’t even require might, because even a word, an encouraging, kind word, can carry true power. True power rises up when people work together for the common good. True power rises up when communities unite against hate and injustice. True power rises up when people care for one another and stand up for one another.
True power can not be overcome, not even by death. “He is not here,” the angel said. The angel tells the women to go and share the message with the other disciples that if they go to Galilee, Jesus will meet them there. This may not seem significant at first, Friends, but let’s look closely at this last part of the story before we close because in it we find a beautiful and perfect example of what the exercise of true power can look like. Let’s first remember that all but one of Jesus’s disciples fled during his arrest. According to the scriptures, only one of the twelve returned to the foot of the cross to join three women, Mary (mother of Jesus), Mary Magdalene, and another, the wife of Clopas, whose name is also Mary. No other disciples were present in Jesus’s last hours; no other disciples dared to come to the tomb that morning and yet a message was sent to them all to “Come to Galilee and see.” In that invitation is forgiveness, Friends. True power is not acquired through vengeance and retribution. True power is not acquired through instilling shame and fear. True power is rooted in love. This is the message of Easter. True power is rooted in love and not even death can overcome it. That is something to celebrate.
In closing, Friends, and as we go out into the world, I pray that we exercise our true power to build stronger relationships within family and community. I pray that we exercise our true power to forgive, to encourage, to uplift. And as we face the inevitable hardships and eventually, even our own death, I pray we will remember the source of our true power in the love that we call God and the words that the risen Christ first spoke: Do not be afraid.
So be it. Amen.
*https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/blue-hour.html
**https://www.saltproject.org/progressive-christian-blog/2020/4/6/dawn-salts-lectionary-commentary-for-easter-sunday
Pastoral Prayer
Beloved God, we are aware of much suffering, both here and abroad. In the midst of wars on multiple fronts, we pray earnestly for peace this morning. In the midst of senseless gun violence we pray for true safety and security. In the midst of despair about the future, we pray for hope this morning, of all mornings. Help us to remember the life and example of Christ, that we may grow more secure in our hearts, secure in what we know to be of the greatest value in our lives. This I ask in the name of Christ. Amen.
Benediction
I leave you with these words from Philippians, chapter 4: “May the peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”