The week before school starts at Florida State is what we commonly refer to as “Go Week.” We spend a lot of time running: running to and from the Baptist Collegiate Ministry center where we cook the meals, running to and from the dorms where we’re helping students move in, running to and from Sam’s Club when we use up all of our food, and running to and from the student union where events are being held.
All of that running is reminiscent of the first Easter. First, Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb. When she discovers it empty, she runs to find Peter and John. Subsequently, they race to the tomb with Mary, and then go home again. After Mary’s encounter with the angels and Jesus, she runs to the disciples once more to tell them her news. It seems that everyone is in a hurry.
For Mary Magdalene and the disciples, this was breaking news. This was urgent! There was no time to waste. Everyone had to know that Jesus was alive! And for the early church, the Christian message was urgent, breaking news as well. Jesus could come back any day! They had to tell everyone that Jesus was the Messiah. There might not be any time but the present.
We have lost this sense of urgency today. We’re so accustomed to the idea that Jesus might not come back in our lifetimes that we don’t bother sharing the good news. Why should we? Our children and our children’s children will have plenty of time for that.
The urgency of the message has not changed in the 2,000 years since Mary Magdalene’s time. There are still lost souls everywhere we look that need to hear the good news! We don’t know the day or the hour when Jesus will return, so we need to assume that it is now, today, tomorrow. Go Week is an example of this. We need to share the message of Jesus with these college students now because they will be gone soon. This is our opportunity. And not only college students – today is our opportunity to share our risen Christ with everyone we meet. Every week is Go Week. Go and tell!