There is absence in that all we have is an empty tomb, but presence because, while the tomb is empty, Christ is alive with a gloriously transformed body and with us!
The fact of Jesus being the greatest of all priests in the greatest of all orders of priesthood, means He is the consummate pastor for those in need of a powerful and availing shepherd.
Christianity is not principally about ethics. It was the Cross on the Hill rather than the Sermon on the Mount which produced the impact of Christianity on the world.