In her book, The Source of Self-Regard: Selected Essays, Speeches, and Meditations, Toni Morrison ponders how some texts, read attentively, yield wonder again and again. While the text is flat and unchanging on the page, the reader deciphers, as Morrison writes, “the invisible ink [that] lies under, between, outside the lines, hidden until the right reader discovers it.” This participation is not strictly an interpretation, Morrison adds, but how reader and writer together bring a text to life — like a singer brings a song’s lyrics and score to life through her performance. This Easter Sunday, the lectionary passage from Luke is a text Christians have read time and time again. The words on the page are just that: words. But Luke, guided by the Holy Spirit, has written this text in his own, unique, invisible ink. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John have each written the same story in their own unique way, with different plotting, unique characteristics, and characters particular to each version. The final scene of Luke’s gospel propels the reader to anticipate the rest of the story in the book of Acts, where Jesus’ tomb serves as the center of the action. The women come to the tomb, find it empty, hear from two “dazzling” men that they should not be looking for the living among the dead, and go to share the good news that Jesus has risen. Peter, upon receiving this word, has to go see for himself. He runs to the tomb, is amazed to find it empty, and returns home. You can find the rest of the commentary on our website. | 
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