John 20:1-10

John 20:1-10
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 In the aftermath of large-scale events, there are often reports sent out with all sorts of wrong information.  People think they saw different things, and rumors spread like wildfire.  It takes time to figure out what happened.
  When Mary saw the stone rolled away from the tomb, her first thought wasn't resurrection, but it was theft.  Simon Peter and John ran to the tomb, determined to find out what had happened to the body of Jesus, and there in that place, they realized that something supernatural, beyond human reasoning, had occurred.  The rolled up piece of cloth that had covered the dead man's face testified to the greater truth -- resurrection had taken place, and the world would never be the same.
  There in that dark place, the future had changed forever.  Death no longer had the final word, and eternal life was now possible for all who believe.  Mary was the first witness to this, but it took her some time to understand and believe.  We, centuries later, stand in the tomb and must make the decision for ourselves -- do we believe in the incredible Good News?  We have centuries of scholars examining the evidence, and for the countless investigations that have taken place, no one has yet turned up evidence that the resurrection didn't take place.  I stand in the tomb and I believe in the future Christ taught.  Life is greater than death, and God's light has beaten back the darkness.