Lead Pastor Josh Carstensen shares an Easter message.

Most of us want a clean ending. We want the story to wrap up, the questions to get answered, the credits to roll. But the oldest account of Easter — the one written by a guy named Peter — ends in the strangest way. No triumphant reunion. No big reveal. Just an empty tomb, a simple announcement, and three women running away in fear.

That's it.

And that's actually the whole point.

Because what if Easter isn't just a moment you celebrate once a year, but an invitation you're still supposed to be living inside of? What do you do with an announcement you can't fully explain, can't fully prove, but can't quite walk away from either?

That's what we're wrestling with today.

Thank you for listening to this message from Northwest Hills Community Church in Corvallis, Oregon, on April 5, 2026, at 10:00am. You can find us online at ⁠nwhills.com⁠.

Key Moments

• (00:00) Welcome
• (01:04) Easter in Mark: The Empty Tomb, the Announcement, and the Invitation
• (08:25) Why Does Mark End So Strangely?
• (10:36) Scripture Reading: Mark 16:1–8
• (12:16) The Empty Tomb & What We Actually Expect from Jesus
• (17:07) What Do You Do With an Announcement You Can't Ignore?
• (24:38) Easter Isn't a Day. It's an Invitation to Join the Story.
• (31:33) Closing Prayer