What to Do with This Story
”But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. “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.
Mark 16:1-6 (NIV)

They went to the tomb to make sure that the final part of Jesus’s story ended well, to offer and steward respect for His life, respect for His dying, respect for their customs, and devotion to their God. What they discovered is that the story they were motivated to help end right was really a story that was still ongoing.

It’s as if the angel were saying to them, “I know you came to put appropriate punctuation on a powerful life, but this story isn’t over. The story continues.” In fact, this belief that the story did not end at the tomb is what faith in Jesus is all about.

It’s the hope that restores, renews, reinvigorates, refreshes, and revises each and every one of us every day. And its message is this: no matter how close to the worst you can get, in Jesus Christ what looks like a story ending is always a story continuing.

There will be seasons and circumstances in our lives that hit us in ways we could never have imagined. Sometimes, we will turn corners on paths in life that we thought were stretching out before us with enormous possibilities. When we’re finally starting to believe that we can embrace joy, a sudden unexpected blow can hit us in places so deep that we don’t know if it represents the final negative punctuation to our stories. I’m talking about sicknesses, setbacks, mistakes, and regrets that we can’t wrap our brains around.

But here’s the lesson of this passage: do not give up on the rest of your story. Because if you believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, your story is not over. It is still continuing.