Easter 2026 - Faith, Hope, and Love
Mark 16:1-8 (NIV)
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”
4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”
8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.
Discussion Questions
The sermon described life as complicated but suggested Paul boils it all down to three things — faith, hope, and love. When life feels overwhelming, which of those three do you find easiest to hold onto, and which slips away first?
The message quoted William Barclay, saying that if Jesus had come down from the cross, it would have meant there was a limit to God's love. How does it affect you personally to sit with the idea that God's love for you is genuinely without limit?
The women walking to the tomb that Sunday morning still had love, but their hope had been crushed. Have you ever been in a season where your love for God or others was still intact, but your hope had quietly died? What did that feel like?
The sermon quoted Andy Crouch: "Power without hope becomes violent." Where do you see that playing out in the world around you today — and how does the resurrection speak into that reality?
The pastor shared a vulnerable moment of shouting at the TV during the basketball game, then feeling convicted about how quickly he was ready to write off an 18-year-old kid. When have you been too quick to decide someone's story was over — including your own?
The angel singled out Peter by name, essentially saying his failure wasn't the end of his story. Is there an area of your own life — a failure, a regret, a relationship — where you need to hear that your story isn't finished either?
Mark's Gospel originally ended with the women fleeing in fear, saying nothing to anyone. Why do you think Mark left the story so unfinished — and what does it say to you that the Gospel essentially hands the ending to the reader?
Pastor Grace Imathiu's quote defined faith as "what takes place between the last time we saw God and the next time we see him again." Where are you in that gap right now — and what does faithfulness look like for you in this particular season?
The risen Jesus promised to go before the disciples — not behind them, not beside them, but ahead. How does the image of Jesus going before you change the way you think about whatever uncertainty or challenge is in front of you right now?
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