"Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?"

“Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”

There’s something about that question that lingers with me.

“When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint Him. Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb at sunrise. They were saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?’” (Mark 16:1–3)

After a day of rest, these women—still carrying the trauma of the cruelty inflicted on the one they loved—found the strength to go. They gathered what they could for one final act of love. And yet, as they made their way, the question surfaced: an obstacle, a barrier, a stone.

How often do I begin with the desire to love or serve, only to be met with the weight of “stones”? What if? How will this work? Am I able?

And yet… they went anyway.

If they had stayed fixed on the question—on the weight and impossibility of the stone—the story might have unfolded very differently.

Instead:

“Looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, though it was very large. Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right, dressed in a white robe, and they were amazed.” (Mark 16:4–5)

Isn’t that just how God works? 

When we choose love over fear, when we keep moving forward even with questions in our hearts, we begin to see it—God has already been at work. Even in our worry, even in our wondering, God is moving the stones.

And the goodness doesn’t stop there. They are met by a messenger:“Do not be amazed… You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen; He is not here…” (Mark 16:6)

God is still sending messengers—people who walk beside us in our grief, our uncertainty, our complicated realities. Signs of hope we might not have expected, but deeply need.

This month, we’re offering opportunities to help tend to the “stones” in our own lives—the places of discouragement, doubt, or weariness. There are messengers of hope waiting along the way.

We’re simply invited to keep going… and to trust the voice that leads us toward the goodness of God.

May the stones that weigh on your heart be gently rolled away, and may you be filled with the abundant joy and surprising hope of the risen Christ.