On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.

— Luke 24:1

On Easter Sunday morning I woke around 4:30 a.m. at Hightop Hut on the Appalachian Trail. Unable to sleep, I got up and hiked for an hour in the dark, carefully dodging the many rocks along the trail. Though I caught only a glimpse of the sunrise, I thought about the resurrection of Jesus as I walked.

Very early “on the first day of the week,” a few women who had been following Jesus plodded to the tomb where his crucified, dead body had been laid on Friday. Though filled with grief, they brought spices to anoint his body out of love and respect. To their astonishment, however, they found that the stone sealing the tomb was rolled away and that the grave was empty! Then, even more surprising, two angels in blinding white clothes greeted the women, saying: “He is not here; he has risen!”

Can you imagine the women’s surprise and confusion as they raced back to Jerusalem? Though they didn’t understand, they were bursting with joy: Jesus is alive! They couldn’t keep this news to themselves: they had to tell others. And the rest of the New Testament announces the same joy that these women discovered that morning.

Filled with this same joy, we too should share the good news of Jesus with the people we meet on the paths of life.

Lord Jesus, rekindle in our hearts each day the joy of your resurrection, and help us to share our joy with everyone we meet. Amen.