11 Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. 12 She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. 13 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” the angels asked her.
“Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”
14 She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him. 15 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?”
She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.”
16 “Mary!” Jesus said.
She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”).
17 “Don’t cling to me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” (John 20:11-18)
18 Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them his message.
Gosh I love this story. It’s so great and filled with anxiety, pain, and wonder all at the same time. Many times in life we can feel this way as Mary Magdalene feels in this story. Tonight we are going to talk about Mary Magdalene.
Mary sees a gardner in the garden because that is what makes sense. She doesn’t know it’s Jesus until He says her name. A name in the Hebrew culture is of huge significance. It means someone’s story, where they have been, gone through, and where they are actively heading towards. Mary’s story is one with a lot of baggage, not so great decisions, and lots of heartbreak. For the longest time I am sure she thought that is all her life was going to be. A complete and utter failure.
Can you relate to this feeling?
You are just one person with six and a half billion neighbors. On a planet 25,000 miles across circling a star in a galaxy with a hundred billion other stars in a universe 93 billion light years across.
You are just one person and God knows your name.
There are six billion reasons why the cross happens. They are you and me and everyone that exists in the world right now, but not only that they are all the ones that have ever existed and will ever exist.
Turns out that resurrection is personal. It all goes back to God deepest desire of reuniting His children with and creating everything new. Now everything that is baptized in the Holy Spirit and confesses in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ is made new and becomes an active part of the ministry of reconciliation.
Yes we are going to experience not so great days and we are going to falter in our faith, but God’s grace awakens us from our sins and prevents us from going further into sin.
You are God’s reason.
Everyone in the world is His reason
Everyone who ever existed and will ever exist is His reason
The day you entered into this world as you took your first breath, before you even knew who your parents and your family are and who you were, God’s prevenient grace greeted you.
Essentially saying before anything else could….
You are loved, and no matter what I will always be here FOR you and WITH you.
Always.
Let’s pray.