Come to the Resurrection Party! R.S.V.P

Come to the Resurrection Party! R.S.V.P

Deal with (11-16)

Happy Ressurrection Sundayyyyyy!!!!!!

Today we come to the Resurrection Party.

Point # 1 of the message today is God is into Partying ! Is that right.

Today we come to the Resurrection Party.

1. GOD IS INTO PARTYS Is God into partying ? Hey is our pastor on something today. or is he just amped up on coffee or what?

Can we dare ask such a question? Are we allowed to party? Looking around” can we say yes??”

GOD IS INTO PARTYS Is God into partying ? You bet he is ....how do we know that ? The wedding party he attended didnt start to kick until Jesus took a party that was winding down to a new level by turning the water into the really good stuff. So of all the Incarnate son of God doses is the next best thing to throwing a wedding party is to take a party this is dying down and kick it to another level. We can surmise that he must have been there for some time because the cheap stuff was bing service in the scene. I dont think Jesus was a wedding crasher at all.

Kylene are you having a candy party today? I’m having chocolate today …I gave it up about but was about 5 days late coming to it. Guess what I’m having a chocolate bunny

You bet he is ....how do we know that? It started in the Garden of Eden with Adam and eve with everything perfect …almost heavenly. No clothes, no inhibitions, all needs provided, living in harmony with the creator . Thats the opening scene about what life with God is about.

Then we have a wedding party that Jesus attended a wedding party that didnt start to kick until Jesus took a party that was winding down to a new level by turning the water into the really good stuff. So of all the Incarnate son of God doses is the next best thing to throwing a wedding party is to take a party this is dying down and kick it to another level. We can surmise that he must have been there for some time because the cheap stuff was bing service in the scene. I dont think Jesus was a wedding crasher at all.

After this probably everyone wanted Jesus at their wedding party.

But why is God and his son Jesus into parties (answer its where he could encounter People)

Why

Are you here for a party today? If I didnt know what day it was would I know its easter by looking at you. ?

(transition)So we established that God and Jesus are into parties.

(transition)So we established the God and Jesus are into parties.

2.The Invitation

2 3. Our R.S.V. P.

Any big party worth its billing includes an invitation, and the original Resurrection Party was no exception ( or was it). The high drama w

Any big party worth its billing includes an invitation.

None of us can get the party on our own. ....we have all sinned and have a fallen short of the glory of God. We are only justified by Gods grace “ The cross and the Resurrection. We were seperated by our own desires to do our own thing. In that respect we are all in the same condition.

Jesus himself said “ I am the way the truth and the life is the way…there is no other way to the Father but through me. John 14:6

Transition to The invitation to the party

None of us can get the party on our own. ....we have all sinned and have a fallen short of the glory of God. We are only justified by Gods grace “ We were seperated by our own desires to do our own thing. In that respect we are all in the same condition.

From the time Jesus came to earth until his assention he was a constant god-presence in the lives of people all around him. Jesus came to bring all all back to the Father, back into relationship with him. The old testament

Instead of the Priest being the reprsentation of God in the community God sends his son Jesus to invite and be the invitation! Jesuus IS.Gods invitation to the reunion party in every way…including being the sacrifice…the host at the last supper. the invitation written in blood. He knew his role and purpose.

3. Our R.S.V. P.

3. Our R.S.V. P.

JESUS SHOWS UP IN Mary's Magdalene's Darkest hour with GOOD News of his being resurrected.

its a struggle for Mary but lets walk through some of her Journey of being invited into the victorious Ressurrection..

It is so impressive to me that Mary Magdaline, a women plays a leading role as being first to be invited to be first to see the empty tomb and see Jesus. the big event ....the resurrection announcement is Mary persevering in the dark

It is so impressive to me that Mary Magdaline, a women plays a leading role as being first to be invited to be first to see the empty tomb and see Jesus. the big event ....the resurrection announcement is Mary persevering in the dark

The first thing we see here through this chapter is that we live in the dark. Mary was in a darkened place place in more ways than one as we approach the ressurrection.

Folllow along in Johns Gospel Chapter 20 as we look at Marys journey to a Large Resurrection Party

Verse 1: "On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early while it was still dark." She had a darkened understanding. "While it was still dark" not only recognizes the time of morning but also the disposition of her heart and mind. For as you walk through, in verse 2, "we don't know where they laid him." Verse 9, "They still did not understand." Verse 13, "I don't know where they've taken him." Verse 14, "She did not realize."

But then.... everybody seems to be in the dark, not only literally but psychologically, spiritually, they are discouraged. No one seems to know what's going on. NOW, if I concocted the story I don't think I would have put in this kind of messy stuff. I would have created a heroic story so that everyone would immediately follow. But people are confused. They don't understand. They're in the dark. Thank you John…thank you God.

They're racing in the dark. Verse two: "She ran." Verse four, "They both ran." For some reason it tells us about this foot race between Peter and John, and one's getting there before the other. one goes in the empty grave the other one no "What up with that?" I know that it creates this picture of disciples scrambling around, out of breath, running, racing, scrambling amid the felt absence of Jesus. You ever RACE around in the dark? Frantic, maybe thats why its here

Mary's weeping in the dark (see verse 10). She continues to weep (verses 13 and 15). When John says that she weeps, it's not trickles of tears. The word here has the idea heaving. If you were in the garden that early morning, near that tomb, you would have heard a woman wailing. Have you ever wept in the dark? I have.

Do you live in the dark sometimes????, with a darkened understanding, with darkened beginnings, racing around, weeping. Mary's humbled. She has to keep saying it over and over again, verse 2, verse 11. "We don't know;" "I don't know." "I don't know where they've taken him," "We don't know where he is." She has to ask for help in the dark: verse 15, "Sir, tell me."

Dont you just hate it when you are put in this type of situatiom.... where we don't understand everything that's going on.....and we sure dont like someone coming along and telling us that this is an opportunity for us to grow in faith. ;Whats wrong with us???

For all of Mary’s seeming insecurity she stikes a pretty bold and self assured posture to say, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him and I will take him." We don't know how big Mary Magdalene waw but to say, "Look, I'll go get him. Jesus, I want my Lord. He deserves a burial proper."

The contrast between Mary's response and the disciples' response

We see the contrast of Ma

One of the things that John shows us that the faith of the mens faith is lacking a bit, because after they see the empty tomb they go home. I don't know what's going on. Jesus isn't here? Let's go home. Got some yard work to do. I’m going to see the latest sports standings at the colloseum. I'm going to go handle something I know what to do with.

Then the next time you see them: "On that evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews" (vs. 19). The next time you see them after they saw and believed, they are afraid, hiding behind locked doors. They went home to do some yard work or whatever and sort of puzzle and talk about it, then they got a phone call from the other guys saying: "Hey, we're all hanging out over here, we've got a good place, pretty good lock on the door. Why don't you come join us?" Sounds good. So they all meet and huddle together in fear. Sounds like faithful people, doesn't it? Did you see the humility of this man, John? He's not rewriting history to make himself the hero. I mean, what a humbling thing for a man in that century to do and in ours.

(Read )

Did you notice the contrast where it all comes together? Who is this Mary Magdalene? She is a terribly broken woman, notorious sinner in her past. Jesus had met her, healed her, forgave her, restored her to her true identity as the lovely one that she was, as a daughter of the King. Mary Magdalene stood. You see, she's not going anywhere. She's not afraid to cry, she's not afraid to beg, she's not afraid to ask. She's not afraid. She cannot stand to go home with the felt absence of Jesus.

The light breaks into the darkness

There in an unexpected place, the light broke in. The unexpected place was the tomb. Angels appear dressed in white, in contrast to the dark of the morning, and Mary doesn't even blink. Here's the surprising thing: This is a focused woman. This is a surprising thing because you see, any other time in the Bible when someone comes into contact with an angel, they fall down like they're dead. Mary looks an angel square in the face, she doesn't even blink, she just says, "Where is he, do you know where they've taken him?" You see, she is so aware of her own pain, so aware of her own loss, that she does not realize the foretaste of Christ is coming upon her.

Many of us are unsure , until we hear God calling us by our name. That happens to Mare an unexpected intimacy explodes when she hears Jesus say her name "Mary." Instantly the lights come on.

, and that unexpected intimacy where she doesn't know him until he finally says her name, "Mary."

I wish I could hear how he said her name. Wouldn't you want to hear how the One who loves you, has created you, redeemed you, says your name? You get closest to it when someone who loves you, says your name. "Mary"—the lights go on. No one speaks her name like Jesus does. No one speaks your name like Jesus does. He's the Good Shepherd. Mary is experiencing it. The Good Shepherd knows his sheep by name. Mary is not a number, she is a name, a being, a person dearly loved. Mary is experience new life

I said at the out set of “the invitation” …that Any big party worth its billing includes an invitation, and the original Resurrection Party was no exception . Could it have been a bigger party? Well we might think so, given our need or propensity for high drama. What do you mean? Let me explain: When God or his writers of the Gospel recorded the event of the Resrrection…there is not camera on Jesus sitting up.... taking off the graveclothes ..... a laser light show with pyrotechnics..... Light singing forth from his body …smoke coming up around the stone where he lay…probably angels on had to roll the stone....wait thats how we would tell the story and begin the invitation,....but Godand Jesus decided the the news would be a personal face to face delivery an personal encounter with the master in a new body the record would be an account of that encounter…starting with Mary Magdeline!!!

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Wrapping up this section: I said at the out set of “the invitation” …that Any big party worth its billing includes an invitation, and the original Resurrection Party was no exception . Could it have been a bigger party? Well we might think so, given our need or propensity for high drama. What do you mean? Let me explain: When God or his writers of the Gospel recorded the event of the Resrrection…there is not camera on Jesus sitting up.... taking off the graveclothes ..... a laser light show with pyrotechnics..... Light singing forth from his body …smoke coming up around the stone where he lay…probably angels on had to roll the stone....wait thats how we would tell the story and begin the invitation,....but Godand Jesus decided the the news would be a personal face to face delivery an personal encounter with the master in a new body the record would be an account of that encounter…starting with Mary Magdeline!!!

Ending his section: I said at the out set of “the invitation” …that Any big party worth its billing includes an invitation, and the original Resurrection Party was no exception . Could it have been a bigger party? Well we might think so, given our need or propensity for high drama. What do you mean? Let me explain: When God or his writers of the Gospel recorded the event of the Resrrection…there is not camera on Jesus sitting up.... taking off the graveclothes ..... a laser light show with pyrotechnics..... Light singing forth from his body …smoke coming up around the stone where he lay…probably angels on had to roll the stone....wait thats how we would tell the story and begin the invitation,....but Godand Jesus decided the the news would be a personal face to face delivery an personal encounter with the master in a new body the record would be an account of that encounter…starting with Mary Magdeline!!!

3. Our R.S.V. P.

Mary’s Encounter ti

3. Our R.S.V. P.

RSVP - Répondez, S'il Vous Plaît (in French) which means "please reply."

A response to Jesus Invitation is required. No response by default is a no show. Dont delay. The scripture and espcially the parables of Jesus are rich with this. From excuses for not coming to the banquet table to not being prepared. In the parable of the banquet preparation the Host asked his servants to go out and invite anyone they could get to come to do so.

A response to Jesus Invitation is required. No response by default is a no show. Dont delay. The scripture and espcially the parables of Jesus are rich with this. From excuses for not coming to the banquet table to not being prepared. In the parable of the banquet preparation the Host asked his servants to go out and invite anyone they could get to come to do so.

Come follow me ....instead… is Jesus call his invite into fellowship with him.

There is no place God and Jesus and the HS would not go to rescue you. He spent his life ministering to those who were outcasts, margialized, discriminated against, poor , naked, in prison those who could not meet with God because they were not jewish or could only worship outside the gate.

4. We believes are the priests interceeding for the lost. Lets hand out the invitations? NO.NO. Lets BE THE INVITATION.. to opening for the HS to work.

BECAUSE GOD WAS ISOLATED IN THE HOLY OF HOLIES GOD SENT HIMSELFE IN JESUS TO STEP OUT OF THE ARC OF THE HOLY OF HOLIES AND WALK AMONG THOSE SAME PEOPLE WHO WERE KEPT OUT1

THATS THE GOOD NEWS OF THE RESURRECTION POWER OF OUR GOD. HE BREAKS CHAINS OF ALL KINDS . NOTING IS TOO SMALL FOR HIM.

The invitation stands until its too late

Are you in a party mood today? Are you experience new life in Christ. While we are in party mode today its really a pre-party, accepting the invitation and Spreading the good news of the Gospel.. heaven is the ultimate party .... but yet if Jesus really meant what he prayed and taught his disciples to pray that the Fathers Kingdom would come to earth …then there is a touch of heaven down here. Today is Easter and its a resurrection anniversary party for those who have accepted Gods invitation.

How many of you have ever been to creation or a similer venue for a christian artist or a band and you went down to the mosh pit? How many of you wanted to for one of your favorite artists? Hold that picture!!!

Well let me take you to the structure of the Temple and how it was transformed from a very formal and segregated encounter in worship. The outer court leading to the inner court leading to the place where only the priest could enter and perform his service to God . and then the Holy of Holies …the dwelling place of God. Only entered by the priest and only one time a year. Well God didnt need a stage crew to perform the tearing of the veiled wall seperating the Holy of Holies in perfect synchronization with Jesus heart stopping as he hung on the cross. The collapse of the temple and priestly order now allows all to go into the Holy of Holies.... Using the concert scenario: to go down to the front of the stage and celebrate…actually he gets off stage and dd. We all have an inviatation to the row 1 seat AA. Jesus would allow people on stage ,He might even crowd surf.

Bringing others with us.

Any big party worth its billing includes an invitation.

g All have a f

All have a f

None of us can get the party on our own. ....we have all sinned and have a fallen short of the glory of God. We are only justified by Gods grace “ The cross and the Resurrection. We were seperated by our own desires to do our own thing. In that respect we are all in the same condition.

Transition to The invitation to the party

Transition to The invitation to the party

From the time Jesus came to earth until his assention he was a constant god-presence in the lives of people all around him. Jesus came to bring all all back to the Father, back into relationship with him. The old testament

Instead of the Priest being the reprsentation of God in the community God sends his son Jesus to invite and be the invitation! Jesuus IS.Gods walking invitation to the reunion party in every way…including being the sacrifice…the host at the last supper. He knew his role and purpose.

The invitation stands until its too late

God planned to invite every one of you to the party before you were born! He delighted in you despite his knowledge that you would forsake him and do your own thing along the way. At the last supper his words reflected the same sentiment in that he was really in to have ing that meal with him. Kowing that there was gonna be infighting over control issues, a betrayer who sold him out and for cheap, a trusted disciple who would disown him. And the rest abandoning him in his hour of testing and in being alone. . Thats the Jesus I know and thats the Jesus of the bible.

ACCEPTANCE OF THE INVITATION

“Maybe there is someone here who is expeienceing a pull from the father for the first time or you’ver heard it before but never responded or you have been absent from your commitment to him and you want to return.

for the first time or you’ver heard it before but never responded or you have been absent from your commitment to him and you want to return.

Here is a prayer that may reflect what you are hearing and sensing from God. I’m going to tell you what is in the prayer and then if you want to pray it. I’ll lead you through it.

“Dear God I hear you. and I trust you . That through the ressurrected Jesus that you offer me life now ..... I choose life. With your help i want to leave my sin behind dead and burried and rise to a new way of being me in you. TI dont want to be seperated from you any longer. I want to be reconciled, I want to come home. I welcome your spirit to clease me, to fill me and teach me how to live and love like Jesus.

If that is your prayer today would you pray it with me out loud. Pray.

If you prayed that prayer Myself and the elders would like to know that so we can encourage you, pray for you…with you....and find a way to plug in to a life of descipleshipa nd growth

He is Risen… He is alive

He is alive .....he is alive in deed

He is alive and will reign forever more. .....He is alive and will reign for evermore.

AMEN.

This week would you live your life in Christ, as an invitation to someone to come back to him. and may the Holy Spirit guide you in all your ways.

Happy Ressurrection Day.

END

EXTRA stuff left for another time

Experiencing the Party now

Are you in a party mood today? Are you experience new life in Christ. While we are in party mode today its really a pre-party, accepting the invitation and Spreading the good news of the Gospel.. heaven is the ultimate party .... but yet if Jesus really meant what he prayed and taught his disciples to pray that the Fathers Kingdom would come to earth …then there is a touch of heaven down here. Today is Easter and its a resurrection anniversary party for those who have accepted Gods invitation.

How many of you have ever been to creation or a similer venue for a christian artist or a band and you went down to the mosh pit? How many of you wanted to for one of your favorite artists? Hold that picture!!!

Well let me take you to the structure of the Temple and how it was transformed from a very formal and segregated encounter in worship. The outer court leading to the inner court leading to the place where only the priest could enter and perform his service to God . and then the Holy of Holies …the dwelling place of God. Only entered by the priest and only one time a year. Well God didnt need a stage crew to perform the tearing of the veiled wall seperating the Holy of Holies in perfect synchronization with Jesus heart stopping as he hung on the cross. The collapse of the temple and priestly order now allows all to go into the Holy of Holies.... Using the concert scenario: to go down to the front of the stage and celebrate…actually he gets off stage and dd. We all have an inviatation to the row 1 seat AA. Jesus would allow people on stage ,He might even crowd surf.

Bringing others with us.

Jesus shows up in our darkest hours

Mary's Magdalene's Darkest hour

an invitation written in blood (

an invitation written in blood (

The party was planned from before the beginning

RSVP Required

Getting a new body

Removing our old disposition

HAVING A PART WITH GOD MEANS DYING.— REMEMBER GODS EORS TO PETER? AHTVLAST SUPPER UNLESS... U CSN HAVE NO PART WITH ME

Trading in graveclothes : it’s not a zombie party They recognized Jesus

A renewed invitation to the party (use Bruxy Cavey's invitation)

All the brokenness we experience in life and bring to the cross is transformed in the resurrection of Christ.

But we must go through the crucible of the cross to get there. You can not get around it. You can not get under it you can not get over it. But through it you will find redemption

Broken ESS

Emptying

Sacrifice ( desires, hope

Exchange March 26 my utmost

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The idea goes like this: I have never experienced a miracle, therefore miracles cannot happen. And we just pause right there and say because we have not experienced something presently doesn't mean we can't experience it in the future or that it has never been experienced in the past. All we are saying is we ourselves have never personally experienced something. The nature of these miracles matter for us. After all, we are not talking about a wizard in a hat going around turning men and women into mice or pulling rabbits out of hats. The grand miracles, as C.S. Lewis called them, refer to healing of the sick, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and rising from death. We are not talking about little puppet shows and card tricks, but about the grand miracle of neighbor love conquering that which most devastates us in life.

When we say that no miracles exist, we often turn to science, but science cannot prove that a miracle can or cannot happen. Science merely looks at an event and seeks to explain it from the vantage point of natural causes. Science tells us that things normally happen in a certain, regular way, therefore miracles cannot happen. We say a miracle by its nature is an exception to what is regular and a rule. I learned in English that there are lots of rules for grammar, but then there are the exceptions to the rule. It isn't crazy to assume there is an exception to what is regular. The fact that things are regular upon which we can base our assumptions in the first place should give us cause to ask a question about the nature of our universe: Why are things regular if it's supposed to be the result of random chance? How did random chance produce regularity?

Where does this put us if we say we simply do not believe in the supernatural? It puts us in the position with these eyewitnesses. It is as if we say, as some have, when we come to the New Testament, "Miracles cannot happen, therefore these letters must have been written later because whenever there is a prophecy in the letter that says something is going to happen, because the supernatural cannot exist obviously they wrote these letters after the thing happened to begin with."

When these miracles took place for these Gospel writers, it was in a community out in the open, not in a compound somewhere but out in the open, in public, in Webster Grove, Shrewsbury, Glendale, and Rock Hill. It's just like a community, just like this, out in the open. Jesus would walk out on a street, on a hillside. He would walk out in that community for anybody and everybody to see. His miracles were out in the open in front of everyone. Even if these eyewitness accounts were written 30 years later, everybody who lived in Bethany would know whether or not Lazarus is dead in that tomb or if he was raised from the grave. Most of those people 30 years later would still be alive. So if a letter began to circulate saying Lazarus was raised from the dead in Bethany, then a whole community of people would just rise up and say, "No, I was there."

."

The first thing we have going on here is we put ourselves in the position of eyewitness accounts: 500 people, thousands of people, whole communities of people saw something happen. It puts us in this position: "I hear your testimony, but it's impossible for the things that you're saying to exist so I discount what you're saying." It's not that we're discounting it at that moment on the basis of the evidence itself, in the face of evidence we're saying "I don't believe because miracles don't happen."

So no matter how many people are saying it happened, some would say those people are deceived because miracles don't happen. It puts us in a position of looking evidence square in the face and dismissing it not on the basis of the evidence itself but on the basis of our prior commitment. On the basis of our faith, we ignore evidence. Jesus never actually died; he escaped into hiding—that's what some other folks would say. It would simply be impossible for an ordinary man placed in a tomb in that kind of condition to move a large stone in the presence of soldiers and sneak away into the night. It takes a lot of faith to believe that a scourged and crucified man would have the ability to do that.

Why didn't he appear after that? Well, some people might say that the disciples stole the body and hid it. That takes faith in my mind because how would the disciples have stolen it? If they did steal the body, how do we explain the account? You see, when the disciples encounter the resurrection, they doubt. Just like us. If I was concocting the story I would have all the disciples immediately believing. When you read the Gospels the disciples don't get it; they're freaked out. They doubt. They're not sure what to make of this. If they stole the body, how do we explain their transformation, putting everything on the line and going out and saying Jesus is alive? Well, Pilate or Caiaphas hid the body others might say. That doesn't make sense because all they would have to do is produce the body to silence this whole Christian movement that was beginning to happen.

Then there's this possibility: We don't believe the eyewitnesses themselves, not the number of them, not the quality of them, not what they've said. In the Gospels there are different perspectives and there are some details that are at odds with one another as it comes to the resurrection. Consider this: When you've watched the news this week about what happened in North County at Lambert Airport, and different eyewitnesses have been spoken to, have there ever been any details that seemed not to coincide with each other? Yes. Does anybody doubt that Concourse C was destroyed by winds? No. Aren't there minor details among eyewitnesses that don't coincide? So how could you believe that it ever happened to begin with? It's the nature of the thing for eyewitnesses looking at the same event from different vantage points to account for different sides of that event. The thing that no one disputes is the tornado, the damage, and the wreckage.

So it is when we come to this passage and these Gospels. No one is disputing that Jesus rose from the dead—they're all trying to account for it from their different vantage points, and a minor detail that doesn't seem to coincide with another minor detail is a red herring. In ordinary life we wouldn't live on that basis of proof, why would we here? The question is did Jesus rise from the grave or didn't he, and why did all these people say he did? That brings us to this passage.

Celsus, a Greek philosopher who lived in the second century AD was highly antagonistic to Christianity. He wrote a number of works listing arguments against it. One of the arguments he believed most telling went like this: Christianity can't be true because the written accounts of the resurrection are based on the testimony of women.

"We all know women are hysterical," Celsus wrote. Tim Keller notes, "For them, that was a major problem. In ancient societies, as you know, women were marginalized and the testimony of women was never given much credence."

Perhaps the strongest reason of taking the stories of the empty tomb absolutely seriously lies in the fact that it is women who play the leading role. It would have been very unlikely for anyone in the ancient world who was concocting a story to assign the principle part to women since in those times they were not considered capable of being reliable witnesses in a court of law. It is assuredly much more probable that they appear in the gospel accounts precisely because they actually fulfilled the role that the stories assigned to them, and in so doing they make a startling discovery.

If someone in the ancient world wanted to make up a story, in order to pass it off as true they would not have placed women in the leading role as eyewitnesses. To do so would have immediately discounted the story. So Why would the Gospel writers tell us about these eyewitnesses? They either wanted no one to take them seriously or it was their desire to write what actually happened. The historical text for our message today focuses on one of these women, Mary Magdalene. Let's see what Mary has to say to us.

The first thing we see here through this chapter is that we live in the dark. Mary was in a darkened place place in more ways than one as we approach the ressurrection.

Verse 1: "On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early while it was still dark." She had a darkened understanding. "While it was still dark" not only recognizes the time of morning but also the disposition of her heart and mind. For as you walk through, in verse 2, "we don't know where they laid him." Verse 9, "They still did not understand." Verse 13, "I don't know where they've taken him." Verse 14, "She did not realize."

But then everybody seems to be in the dark, not only literally but psychologically, spiritually, they are discouraged. No one seems to know what's going on. And its all of this the just to me It is so remarkable the to observe You see, if I concocted the story I don't think I would have put in this kind of messy stuff. I would have created a heroic story so that everyone would immediately follow. But people are confused. They don't understand. They're in the dark.

They're racing in the dark. Verse two: "She ran." Verse four, "They both ran." For some reason it tells us about this foot race between Peter and John, and one's getting there before the other. The other one gets there first but doesn't want to look in, then the other one gets there and is like, "What up with that?" It's because they're just noting what actually happened. I know that it creates this picture of disciples scrambling around, out of breath, running, racing, scrambling amid the felt absence of Jesus. You ever race around in the dark?

Mary's weeping in the dark (see verse 10). She continues to weep (verses 13 and 15). When John says that she weeps, it's not trickles of tears. The word here has the idea heaving. If you were in the garden that early morning, near that tomb, you would have heard a woman wailing. Have you ever wept in the dark? I have.

We live in the dark sometimes, with a darkened understanding, with darkened beginnings, racing around, weeping. Mary's humbled. She has to keep saying it over and over again, verse 2, verse 11. "We don't know;" "I don't know." "I don't know where they've taken him," "We don't know where he is." She has to ask for help in the dark: verse 15, "Sir, tell me." It's the thing you and I hate the most, being put into a humbled posture by an event where we don't understand everything that's going on.

For all of Mary’s seeming insecurity she stikes a pretty bold and self assured posture to say, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him and I will take him." We don't know how big Mary Magdalene waw but to say, "Look, I'll go get him. Jesus, I want my Lord. He deserves a burial proper."

The contrast between Mary's response and the disciples' response

We see the contrast of Mary persevering in the dark and John is putting himself and Peter into a negative light, and pushing Mary forward. He does this in at least three ways. First, he puts in the subtle rebuke: "Finally, the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed" (vs. 8). We think right there that the disciples believe everything Jesus had to say and that they are ready to follow. The thing is, that's not actually the case because in verse nine John tells us "Actually we didn't understand the Scriptures and the point that he must rise from the dead."

One of the things that John shows us that the faith of the mens faith is lacking a bit, because after they see the empty tomb they go home. I don't know what's going on. Jesus isn't here? Let's go home. Got some yard work to do. I'm going to go handle something I know what to do with.

Then the next time you see them: "On that evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews" (vs. 19). The next time you see them after they saw and believed, they are afraid, hiding behind locked doors. They went home to do some yard work or whatever and sort of puzzle and talk about it, then they got a phone call from the other guys saying: "Hey, we're all hanging out over here, we've got a good place, pretty good lock on the door. Why don't you come join us?" Sounds good. So they all meet and huddle together in fear. Sounds like faithful people, doesn't it? Did you see the humility of this man, John? He's not rewriting history to make himself the hero. I mean, what a humbling thing for a man in that century to do and in ours.

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Did you notice the contrast where it all comes together? Who is this Mary Magdalene? She is a terribly broken woman, notorious sinner in her past. Jesus had met her, healed her, forgave her, restored her to her true identity as the lovely one that she was, as a daughter of the King. Mary Magdalene stood. You see, she's not going anywhere. She's not afraid to cry, she's not afraid to beg, she's not afraid to ask. She's not afraid. She cannot stand to go home with the felt absence of Jesus.

These men can. Somewhere along the lines, they can just go home. They can make do without Jesus, but Mary can't. If we have the choice between being like that or wrestling and weeping in the dark, I want to stand and wrestle and weep in the dark. The light of Christ breaks into the dark, and John and Peter missed it. There's grace for them. They will receive. But they missed. Imagine if they had stood with her, wrestling, asking, seeking, knocking. It was Jesus who taught that, right? Be asking, be seeking, be knocking. The answer will be given, the door will be opened. Mary found that to be true.

The light breaks into the darkness

There in an unexpected place, the light broke in. The unexpected place was the tomb. Angels appear dressed in white, in contrast to the dark of the morning, and Mary doesn't even blink. Here's the surprising thing: This is a focused woman. This is a surprising thing because you see, any other time in the Bible when someone comes into contact with an angel, they fall down like they're dead. Mary looks an angel square in the face, she doesn't even blink, she just says, "Where is he, do you know where they've taken him?" You see, she is so aware of her own pain, so aware of her own loss, that she does not realize the foretaste of Christ is coming upon her. Many of us are that way.

And then we begin to realize something. The whole time in the garden Mary has not been alone. I don't mean with the other disciples, I don't mean with the angels. There has been someone else in the garden the whole time. How long has he been standing there? How long has he been watching? What was it about Jesus that allowed Peter and John to run past him, look into the empty tomb, and go.

Why wait? I don't know, I just know that Jesus does because he's able to. Thomas is under no threat. For all the angst Thomas feels in his being, he is actually secure and safe. For all the angst that Mary feels in her being, she is actually secure and safe. It's the kind of thing we say to our kids at night when the lights first go out. Our kids, when they were little, would say, "Daddy, we can't see," and we'd say, "That's okay, Daddy can see you." It's that kind of idea where they are secure because they are seen and held and known just as you are seen and held and known, and that unexpected intimacy where she doesn't know him until he finally says her name, "Mary."

“ Mary” I wish I could hear how he said her name. Wouldn't you want to hear how the One who loves you, has created you, redeemed you, says your name? You get closest to it when someone who loves you, says your name. "Mary"—the lights go on. No one speaks her name like Jesus does. No one speaks your name like Jesus does. He's the Good Shepherd. Mary is experiencing it. The Good Shepherd knows his sheep by name. Mary is not a number, she is a name, a being, a person dearly loved.

Conclusion

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Tornadoes will not win. Tsunamis will not win. Jesus calls our name. He rises from the grave. He overcomes death. It's a fact, and because of that, we go home today, nothing's changed externally. We have the same life we go to that we had when we left this morning. What changes is you and me. When Jesus calls our name we become lionhearted. In our tears we become feisty with faith. We go announce to others what we've seen, and when we are derided we stand. This is grace. This is the resurrection. Happy resurrection day. He is risen.