“As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.  But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you’” (Mark 16:5-7).

When I was a kid, my grandma lived with us for almost three years while she battled the cancer that eventually ended her life on earth.

We all took turns taking care of grandma during those years, especially as her health deteriorated. She and I were close, but there were times when I dreaded having to tend to my sick grandma. At least until I realized that I would soon be losing her. That changed things.

It was during those days that I learned what it meant to serve someone out of love and not out of obligation. A new force began motivating my actions. 

The women who went to anoint the body of Jesus – Salome and the two Marys – had their idea of service flipped on its head as well, but in a different sort of way.

After what must have been a soul-crushing couple of days, and amid terrible agony, these women were on their way to anoint the body of Jesus. They were going to “serve” Him one last time. 

But then, instead of encountering a lifeless body, something amazing happened. Standing in the midst of an empty tomb was an angel of God, and he carried a new set of instructions for the three women: “He has risen… go and tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him…” (v.6-7).

And just like that, the women are given a new assignment, a new way of honoring their beloved Jesus. Serving the Lord has been reimagined, and it now involved one simple task: go and tell.

Jesus came into the world to serve others, and through His death and resurrection He has redefined for us what service looks like. All genuine service revolves around Him and incorporates the simple instructions given to these three precious women.

That’s not to say that genuine service must take the form of evangelism, not at all. But one thing is certain. Real service always centers on Jesus: it’s motivated by His love, empowered with His joy, and ultimately accomplishes the purpose of making Him known to the world. Go and tell.

As Jesus followers, our service must always be motivated by the desire to make Him known, to tell the world about His resurrection power.

And His promise to us is simple: as we faithfully deliver the message, we will surely encounter Him along the way.

Are you having trouble connecting with God during this unusual and unpredictable season? Try this: think about ways you could make Him known to the people around you through simple acts of service. You may just find that He’s closer than you think.