Salome woke up that morning with a problem. She was prepared to get to the tomb at sunrise to care for the body of Jesus. She had gathered spices, coordinated with Mary (both of them), and made all the necessary preparations.

However, one detail troubled her sleep. She kept wondering, worrying, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”

She expressed this concern to her friends on the way to the tomb. They knew the stone that covered the entrance was big and too heavy for them to budge. They feared all their preparations and good intentions would be wasted if they could not access the tomb.

This problem loomed larger and larger as the three women made their way into the garden. “Who will roll away the stone?”

What a silly question!

If these women had known that Jesus had risen, if they had believed that He would keep His promise to rise again on the third day, they would have never worried about that old heavy stone. Such wasted worry and unnecessary anxiety. In the light of the resurrection, and the glory of the Risen Lord Jesus, the stone on the entrance to His grave is totally inconsequential.

I imagine that these godly women chuckled when they told Mark about their trip to the tomb and their silly question.

I hear a lot of silly questions these days. Oftentimes, they are worrisome questions rattling around my own mind—questions concerning our capacity to adjust to the new realities of 2021.

Can our pastors stand firm? Will our people stand together? Will political and cultural fault lines destroy our churches? How should we respond to the challenges of this new day? Can we discover new opportunities in the midst of these new challenges?

These questions are real. They are pressing. But like Salome’s question, they must be asked in light of the Resurrection. The first answer to all our questions, the filter for all our anxieties, the context for all concerns, is the reality of our Risen Lord Jesus.

We serve a Risen Savior.

As the Apostles led the church into uncharted waters, they quoted, claimed, prayed and preached one great Old Testament promise over and over again. This promise puts all our fears and questions in proper perspective.

“The LORD said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet!” (Psalm 110:1). His reign is secure.

Any questions?