20th April 2025
What is she with someone? Hold that thought and the stone to be early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark Mary. Magdalene went to the Tomb in Sword of the stone to be removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. And said, they have taken the load after the tune. We don't know where they put him. Repeat on the other disciples started for the tomb, both were running, but the other disciple, a brand Peter and reach the tomb fast. Bent over and looked at it.
I did not go in. Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen line that as well as the clock that you've been wrapped around Jesus's head. We still lying and its place separate from the linen. finally, the other disciple, who would reach the tomb, first they went inside, Diesel. And believed they still did not understand from scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead. And the disciples went back to where they were staying. Now, Mary stood outside the tomb. Crying as she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white seated, where Jesus is parking at being one of the head and the other, the phone, Say, hasta. Woman, why are you crying? They have taken my Lord away. She said, and I don't know where that puts him. At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. He asked her. Woman, why are you crying? Who is it? You're looking for. Thinking he was the God. No she said sir if you have carted him away tell me where you would put him and I will get him. Jesus said to her.
She turned towards him and cried out in Aramaic.
Which means teacher. Jesus said do not hold onto me for I have not yet to send it to the father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them I am ascending to my father and your phone to my car and your car. Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news, I have seen of The Horde and she told them that he had said these things.
Okay, are we going to invite Sean up to speak to us for the moment? And kids, if you've got to one of these reports on your table, that should be a basket. The next one there, that should be a positive B. You can make that's oak forest, seed, heads and hair. It's, it's your challenge is to find the link in jugs to. It was a question, but you could draw a pretty patents. You might want to join face. I throw in a funny little cartoon face. It could be a fun self-portrait, which might make more sense.
And States gets to the drawer and the, the fun bit before you put crested and then you can move to it. But when you get him wait that's a reach out. And pray for John Loop. Jumped on and show him out and released him to speak to us today.
that's at that's what David suchet would sound like, if he smoked to 20 cigarettes a day you can expect line chat, just wanted to see
amazing. Christ is risen.
Some of you were listening, the test, I had an experience in life where something that I thought was true something that they knew it was true. One moment was suddenly the next moment, not true. A moment, what you thought was true and then suddenly not true, that you've known to go whole life up. Till that moment, somebody becomes not true. well, I'm Some of you will know, if, you know me that I am terrible in the mornings. I am absolutely useless in the morning after that, she'll tell you, that, I sit at The Breakfast Table fog of my eyes. While the kids could chaos around me, and I don't really understand what they doing until it goes to John. The kids wake up about 10 a.m. after copious amounts of caffeine the brain finally decides to kick into gear.
I'm going to take you back a few years.
23rd, 2016. Does anyone remember that day? 23rd of June 2016. It was the EU referendum. Do you remember? I will confess I was a Romaine photo and that night I touch myself up into bed, confident. That my reality that I grew up in for my whole entire life would be the reality that I woke up in the very next morning. 24th of June, 2016. I woke up early. before my normal wake up time, which is unheard of just to double-check So, I was right that I would be in feed waking up in the same world that I went to sleep in the night before I rolled over in my sleepy, State picked up my phone to get the BBC website, and they have to play some, okay, go back to sleep.
In my sleepy State. I thought that I had seen that, the remain vote had one. I blissfully rode over to get a few more minutes of Beautyrest.
What I thought I'd seen. What's the reality of the world that I went to sleep in? The night before. But the UK was still part of the EU.
But how wrong I was on a fact. Everything. The UK at least I don't have a relationship with the EU had changed its about 5 minutes. I think of snoozing before sudden panic, Coast free my body.
Did I read that right on, right? I open my phone. My phone gets out and leave you to write the headline with this England in Leeds UK to accept.
That morning, I woke up believing the world was one way. When in reality the kind of world that I was now living in was very different. The old world was gone, a new world was doing it.
That's kind of the image. That's kind of a story that we have here in our reading this morning. It's the kind of story that we pick her up in Easton you think of brexit good. That's what I can tell you about Easter is it's Trudy. Good news for everybody is a door on a truly good news for the whole world, for each one of us,
Mary. She's working early. She's going to the tune to anoint. Jesus is body with with spices Hut their friend. The one who sets her spiritually, free, the one who released the from social isolation and school in the one who is giving her friendship and companionship.
She's gone to the tomb and she's grieving for her friend. And the scene that she finds there is one that she didn't expect a huge Stone.
But she writes that on the tomb is empty in the body is missing the gods. Compy seen the only logical explanation is someone has stolen the body. Someone has taken it. Hidden it somewhere. Two angels of hit. And then, Jesus himself stands right in front of her, but she doesn't see Jesus. She thinks it's the God know, he was standing in front of her and she pleads Let me know where he is. Now, let me know what he is. My Lord has been taken away. Let me know where he is and no questions will be asked one, isn't it? Let's be honest. If you were in her shoes, we would probably be thinking the same thing, right? It's The Logical for stone to deadbolt e. Someone's taken it. It's the logical thing.
But the thing is, the world that Mary has woken up into is not the same. Well, that she went to sleep in the night before that salute, the Everything Has Changed.
I guess not moment as Mary's finds face-to-face with who she thinks he's the gardener is a bit like that moment where I wake up and I check my phone for the year result and go over if you want. Yeah, that's great.
Can't see with Trudy tree even though it's right in front of my very eyes.
Famous Christian Author. GK Chesterton puts it this way. On the third day, the friends of Christ coming at Daybreak to the place. Found a to the place, found the grave empty and the stone rolled away in varying ways you say, realize the new Wonder but even they hardly realize that the world had died in the night.
What day was looking at was the first day of a new creation, with a new Heaven, and a new Earth. And in the semblance of a gardener God walks again in the in the cool of the evening, the of the throne,
God Walked In the Garden in the cool of the evening but the tune of the story of Adam and Eve Walking In The Garden with God in the cool of the evening. They walked in the gods and that God had created for Humanity this perfect place, where God would be with his people place where Humanity friendship and love, and companionship with that. God, Creation, as it was supposed to be.
Hang out with Garden matching that.
But Humanity reject God, we say we like you but actually we wanted to find what is good and what is evil. And so we were chat to go out and see none since the world sentenced world and breaks all relationship with God.
Price of Friendship with God in and within suffering and death and to the world.
On this broken world, this world of broken relationships with death and suffering is it's the thought that she stood in when she arrived at 2. First Easter Sunday morning, that's why she went carrying spices to anoint. Jesus is decaying body.
But that will had died in the night, that will two died in the night. You see, on the cross, Jesus willingly took on himself the sin and darkness and suffering of this world. I'm with his resurrection New Life. True life busts into our world New Creation. First, into a whole new world is dorland a world with death. No longer has the final word.
it was now this new world that Mary had on their only stepped into Has she found herself weeping in the garden by the two?
And it takes Jesus one word. It takes. Jesus. One was where to open. Mary's eyes, he says that she says, Mary.
Just like that. Last night for American Mary. It's like a triple shot espresso.
It opens her eyes for the reality of the new world. She has found herself in A weld with God. Works in the garden. Once more as friends. In the cool of Easter tune. Everything Has Changed. Send an evil has been defeated. Death has been conquered. And three Cheese's. Old people now have access to the father. Old, people are invited to cool called friend again.
And in varying ways. The disciples not first Easter began to realize for themselves the incredible. Good news of these though. The new world I don't The Cults New Creation hot pecan, fat fairy morning and God was making all things new that he was making all things, right? And the promise of Easter is that one day, he will complete not work.
But there is healing. There is hope that there is an eternity. That is perfect just as Eden was perfect.
Mary needed Jesus to call her by name, to wake her up to the new world that she found her in South Bend. 2 disciples are walking on the road, to Emmaus, trying to get out of Jerusalem quickly, and they don't understand that I walking with Jesus, until he breaks bread with them. And suddenly, they see that they are standing in a new reality this morning. A little late. So we will be sharing commuting together will be breaking bread, ourselves Thomas, another cycle. He needed to touch and feel see the wounds for himself. And he believed. That God's New World had come and it come to change. Everything not just for them, but for all Humanity for me and for you, Yes, we still live in a world that's filled with sadness, but the promise of Easter is that one day, God will make it right? And you and perfect. That is a promise of Jesus.
But more than that, you can share and not eternity. Now, you can get a glimpse of it. You can taste it now. Through life with Jesus.
Through him. We can experience God's love in our lives, through him, we can experience his presence in our lives, through him, we can experience his goodness. His truth is freedom. We can experience life to the full.
That's what Easter is about. Common Taste of the New Kingdom. Now, taste about new world now, By saying yes, Jesus, let me follow you.
Christ is risen.
We're getting better.
I wonder this morning. Where they call. It might be whispering in your ear. Let me walk with you. Let me walk with you through life. Let me share in your choice. Let me carry your burdens.
Prince Jesus is whispering in your ear this morning, your name. Whatever it may be.
Sing. I know you. I know you by name and I love you.
Common receive, healing, receive peace, receive my joy. Or maybe as we take communion this morning as we break bread together, this morning, maybe we'll see God in a whole new way together. Christ is risen.
Thank you, Jesus. That you have risen indeed. We thank you that you rose from the dead. To bring new life that you have changed this world from one of pain and suffering, to a new world, which offers hope and freedom and life in all its goodness for all eternity. Which you open up my eyes. So that new reality would you help us walk in it each and every day with you? By the power of your spirit. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Amazing. Thanks for the books. A great. We can make use of those eggs, so the kids collected and on our tables, that should be some Post-it notes as well. And I'd love us to respond to our at little Althea thoughts about God changing our reality and other two things. I'd love you to either write or Draw to draw the draw right? That's great. I love it. T Voice or Draw one fanks to God, that you're grateful for today. So it's great to start with gratefulness and and something that he would love to change in all reality today. You might really want to do something personal, but you might want to be thinking, actually, there is a law in the world that we could pray for coats exchange for goods today. It might be closed. It might be far away. So one sinks, and one God, please to your good work. In this situation, you might just want to name the country or an area or whatever is something you love God to change in our reality today. Give me a thumbs up if that makes sense. Yeah, and I'm going to give you a bit time to do that when you've done it, if he finds an egg on your table and photo screw up your prayer, Put it inside the egg. They might have a few prayers in there. And we're going to put the eggs together and gather them at the front to bring all of our prayers together.
So let's, let's do that for a minute.
While you're collecting up those prayers, putting them in an egg, maybe send the child to come and collect them in the bus in here. And let me, let me pray God, thank you for what you've done. Thank you that you do immeasurably more and better than we can imagine. Thank you that Jesus dying on the cross and raising its High Life. Again, was baffling to even his closest friends because you do immeasurably more and go to sleep to our world. As we look to our life today, would you change our hearts? Would you give us a new perspective of how much you can do, how much more you can do in our lives and in our world now and in the years to come, then you'll come by your power and your spirit have your way in us and have your way in your world.
I'm at.
If you think you've got an egg for the prez, then they do come come forward and bring them to the front.
Amazing. And if I say, so,
