Back to Galilee

On Easter morning, the empty tomb isn't the final destination—it’s the starting line. In this Easter message, Rev. Dr. Charissa Clark Howe explores the world-shaking events of Matthew 28:1–10 and the surprising instructions given to the terrified but joyful women at the grave.Instead of lingering at the site of the miracle or marching to the halls of power in Jerusalem, the resurrected Jesus immediately heads back to Galilee. He returns to the diverse, unpolished margins where his ministry of feeding and healing everyday people first began.Drawing on the reality of trauma and the biological rewiring of healing, this sermon examines how resurrection is not just a distant promise for the afterlife, but an immediate, present-day reality. It challenges the church to stop functioning as a museum guarding an empty tomb and instead look for the moments of healing and justice happening right now in our own modern-day Galilees. The good news is alive in the world, and Christ is already out there, waiting for us to catch up.