Easter Sunday
Lead Pastor Josh Carstensen shares an Easter message.
Most of us want a clean ending. We want the story to wrap up, the questions to get answered, the credits to roll. But the oldest account of Easter — the one written by a guy named Peter — ends in the strangest way. No triumphant reunion. No big reveal. Just an empty tomb, a simple announcement, and three women running away in fear.
That's it.
And that's actually the whole point.
Because what if Easter isn't just a moment you celebrate once a year, but an invitation you're still supposed to be living inside of? What do you do with an announcement you can't fully explain, can't fully prove, but can't quite walk away from either?
That's what we're wrestling with today.
Key Moments
00:00 Welcome
01:04 Easter in Mark: The Empty Tomb, the Announcement, and the Invitation
08:25 Why Does Mark End So Strangely?
10:36 Scripture Reading: Mark 16:1–8
12:16 The Empty Tomb & What We Actually Expect from Jesus
17:07 What Do You Do With an Announcement You Can't Ignore?
24:38 Easter Isn't a Day. It's an Invitation to Join the Story.
31:33 Closing Prayer
Community Group Questions
When's a time you showed up somewhere expecting one thing and found something completely different?
Why do you think Mark ends his gospel with fear and trembling instead of joy?
What's the difference between receiving an announcement and accepting an invitation?
Why do you think Peter made sure his own name was included in verse 7?
Easter is a moment, but the sermon calls it an ongoing invitation. Who's one person in your life you could share that with — and what's stopping you?