What’s the foundation of our Christian faith? An empty tomb! Yes, the cornerstone of the gospel is that grave which held no corpse on that first resurrection morning.

French skeptic Joseph-Ernst Renan unwittingly spoke about the truth of the resurrection when he sneered, “Christianity lives on the fragrance of the empty vase.” To express the truth more accurately, Christianity lives on the saving grace of the resurrected Jesus. He did indeed arise, breaking the bonds of death and leaving empty that garden sepulcher. And that is the good news which ever since has been proclaimed by followers of Jesus Christ.

A character in Ernest Poole’s novel The Harbor remarks cynically, “History is just news from a graveyard.” There’s one great exception to the sadness of all graveyards with their silent message of death—the electrifying news from the graveyard where Jesus was buried. The news is that death has been defeated and the door to eternal life has been opened by His nail-pierced hands (1 Cor. 15:54-57).

The next time you drive past a cemetery or attend a funeral service, remember the good news of the resurrection of Christ and the promise of our own.