Worshipping at the Tomb

“Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb” Luke 24:1-2

On the Sunday after the crucifixion, with the memory of that brutal crucifixion of their Master still vividly etched in their minds, Mary Magdalene and the other women woke up very early in the morning to make their journey to the tomb.

A certain devotion and sincerity of heart must have compelled them especially in the light of all the confusion and helplessness that must prevaded their minds due to the recent injustice. A certain faith must have been their companion in light of all the practical difficulties that lay ahead. How were they going to move the stone from the tomb? What would they say to the guards? A certain courage they must have possessed to visit the tomb of the Man who had just been crucified, to identify with Him publicly when the popular vote was against Him. The women making their way up to the tomb in the early hours of the dawn with sorrow in their hearts, and spices in their hands had to be a compelling picture of devotion, commitment, sincerity, faith, and courage coupled with action – a perfect picture of worship. I admire the perseverance of this worship. Their worship was not tied to their current feelings, or their current circumstances. Yet, there was something missing. With all sincerity their worship was still simply a worship of a sweet memory of their Master and Lord! They were reminiscing of His gentle voice, His compassion, His great miracles, and the constant strength and joy He had brought to them when He walked with them. They with great devotion were going to worship at the tomb! They were anticipating a dead Jesus, a Jesus of the past, Jesus who was and is no more. But the stone had been rolled away. Jesus was not in the tomb. It is true that no worship can be complete if not accompanied by great devotion, sincerity, faith, and courage, but yet it can simply be a memorial service, a recounting of the past, an attempt to gain inspiration from what was but is no more. It is a passive worship. It is worship without expectation! It is worshipping at the tomb!

I wonder if often our worship is a worship rendered at the tomb – lots of devotion, faith, sincerity, and courage but without expectation. Without the expectation to hear an answer to our prayer, without expectation for the present or future, without expectation to see the resurrected Jesus. What makes our worship exciting and dynamic is the words that the angels spoke to the women – “He is not here, He is risen!” Jesus is no longer in the tomb. Worshipping Jesus is not simply recounting a past memory, it is the joyous celebration of the past that was laid at the altar to provide a reason for our celebration of the present and the future. It is celebrating that He lives and He still intercedes on our behalf at the throne of God. It is worship with expectation! I pray we worship regardless of our circumstances, we worship with all sincerity, devotion, and faith but I pray most of all that we worship with expectation!

Danesh Manik