The Cup That Never Runs Dry

Scripture Passage

John 20:1–18 NLT

1 Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 2 She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” 3 Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. 4 They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in. 6 Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, 7 while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. 8 Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed—9 for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. 10 Then they went home. 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.’ ” 18 Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them his message.

Focus Statement

Jesus is alive! That means God’s grace will never run dry.

Point of Relation

Let me tell you, I am a broken human being.

If you don’t believe me, as my mom…ask my dad…ask my wife and my children.

But here’s the secret, WE ALL ARE. Amen?

I am a human being in constant need of God’s grace…

And you know what…WE ALL ARE. Amen?

I am fortunate to have been a regular recipient of God’s grace throughout my life.

First, the grace God gave me in life itself.

Being born into this world...

Second, God’s grace came in the form of baptism...

Where I was, without merit, welcomed into the body of Christ...

From which I grew to know and follow Jesus.

Where I eventually confirmed my baptism as my own and took on the identity of Christian.

Third, God’s grace was there every step of the way.

God’s grace was there when I was being bullied...

and actively helped me overcome that.

God’s grace was there when I stupidly decided to go in the woods with my friends and drink a bottle of Scotch…kids…DON’T TRY THAT…learn from me..NOT WORTH IT...

God’s grace was with the officer who brought me in and called my mom.

God’s grace was with my friend who didn’t die that day from alcohol poisoning...

God’s grace was with me when I got hit by a pick up truck on my bicycle...

When I met my wife…when I had my children...

Through years of depression, anxiety, and insecurity...

Throughout the triumphs and challenges of ministry.

God’s grace has been with me…is with me…forever!

Things to Consider

As human beings, we are all in need of God’s grace, all the time.

The evil war that Russia is waging in Ukraine,

let alone the poverty, disparities , and hateful, political displays in our own community

have highlighted our ongoing need for grace.

The amazing news that we celebrate on Easter Sunday is that God’s grace never runs out.

Jesus has overcome death, sin, and evil in his REAL, bodily resurrection

and in doing so, Jesus IS the fountain of grace that we can return to again and again when we are thirsty.

What Scripture Says

In the gospel according to John,

we follow three of Jesus’ disciples (Mary Magdalene, Simon Peter, and “John”) to the empty tomb.

Each disciple’s experience of the empty tomb and Jesus’ resurrection is different.

So, let’s look at them briefly:

MARY MAGDALENE goes to the tomb alone while it is still dark.

Her first instinct is to run and tell Simon Peter and the beloved disciple.

SIMON PETER and JOHN go to the tomb because Mary has told them Jesus’ body is missing.

JOHN arrives first but does not go in.

For whatever reason, he pauses at the opening of the tomb.

SIMON PETER arrives second but…in typical PETER fashion...does go into the tomb.

JOHN follows SIMON PETER.

At this point, both “see and believe,”

but it is imporant to know that Mary never entered the tomb.

Verses 11-16 describe Mary’s experience of what has happened here – that Jesus is alive:

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”).

For each of these disciples, God meets them where they are and shows them that Jesus is alive in ways that will speak to them.

This extends even to the following verses (19-29)

where Jesus shows up when the disciples are locked away and then again, later,

willing to show Thomas his wounds as evidence that he is who he says he is. Jesus is persistent with the disciples and Jesus is persistent with us in showing up.

In that way, Jesus is a cup that never runs dry.

Jesus’ resurrection, the news of eternal grace for all of us,

is signaled and announced in different ways at different moments:

in the empty tomb

the linen wrappings

being told by friends

seeing angels

Jesus calling by them name

etc.

Just as in the passage, the living Jesus shows up for us in different ways at different moments.

Let us think through this Lenten Series...

Think about the times you felt broken, but God put you back together, like Kintsugi pieces...

Those artistic Japanese pottery repairs that transform a broken vessel into a reusable and renewed work of art.

Now think of how God has used you to bring hope and love to others...

Despite your brokenness, God has made you whole again.s

Think of the Samaritan woman at the well...

how she was seen and known by Jesus...

How Jesus asked her to fill his need of thirst...

And then filled her need to be seen and understood...

and how he sent her to bring hope to people in her community.

Think about how Jesus has filled you in the past...

How your needs…not necessarily your wants…but your NEEDS have been and continue to be filled.

And how Jesus has used you, like that Samaritan woman, to

Or in today’s story, think about Mary Magdalene...

a woman whom Jesus cast out seven demons from as it tells us in the Gospel According to Luke 8:2

Think of how Jesus meets her needs…how he cured her...

and how he values her enough to call her to be the first APOSTLE…

the first one to be sent to preach the GOOD NEWS of Jesus’ bodily resurrection!

When Jesus calls Mary by name, she finally recognizes him as her beloved “Rabbouni!”

Her beloved teacher.

Immediately, Jesus tells Mary not to hold onto him because he has not yet ascended to the Father.

Again...He also sends (the word apostolos, or apostle, means someone, or something, sent)…

He also sends her to spread the good news to the other disciples.

Like a flowing river or fountain,

Jesus is alive and on the move – not an object to be possessed (held onto)

or simply a doctrine to be believed.

Just as water flows, Jesus, our living water,

moves and moves us with him!

The response Jesus asks of Mary is to get moving and spread the good news.

Let us consider the gifts Jesus has given us on Easter with his resurrection from the dead:

He as given us Forgiveness

reconciliation with God

Meaning that we are brought back into a right relationship with God…

our slate has been wiped clean! Our trespasses, our debts, our sins have been paid in FULL!

we are given a brand new life…filled with PURPOSE, DIRECTION, GUIDANCE, FELLOWSHIP,

the power of LOVE…the power of GOD.

and we are the inheritors of ETERNAL LIFE and the Kingdom of God.

We are God’s children, adopted into God’s family through Jesus Christ!

Friends, we always need this grace…ALWAYS.

Not Just once and a while…or on special occasions...

BUT EVERY SINGLE DAY OF OUR LIVES...

and, by Jesus’ death and resurrection, and the gift of the Holy Spirit,

THAT LIFE-GIVING WATER…THAT LIFE-GIVING GRACE is always available to us.

What This Means for You

I want to invite you now to reflect on your relationship with Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior...

Do you have a relationship with Jesus? Do you know him? Do you long for him? Do you seek him out?

Or perhaps you don’t have a relationship…or you are not sure if you do or not.

Friends, this is the time…today is the day of Salvation…today is the day we rejoice at the FACT that Jesus Christ is ALIVE and IS LORD of ALL!

I want to take this moment, this opportunity, to invite you into a relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ...

If you are here…YOU ARE HERE because JESUS CALLED YOU HERE...

Sure some of you may be here because mom or dad, aunt or uncle, or friend brought you...

But make no mistake you are here because the HOLY SPIRIT led you here.

So, I want to invite you to take that bold first step...

Come forward, kneel at the altar and ask Jesus into your heart...

Ask Jesus to take over your life, to erase your sin, and to make you whole again!

You can also come up to pray with me or Kathleen…we’ll be glad to pray with you.

Or, perhaps you know Jesus…perhaps a life-long Christians...

But you feel like you could use that reconnection…that renewal…or healing of some sort.

Come up and pray, either at the altar or with me or Kathleen.

We invite you now to do so.

[Henry plays soft music]

What This Means for Us

Think about what area of your life is in need of particular grace at this time and be attentive to the signs of that grace that may be showing up.

Also, consider how Jesus is calling you to be givers of grace in others’ lives.

For instance, if you see someone having a bad day or struggling, you could take a risk and offer to pray with them.

Sisters and brothers,

We currently being called to move with Jesus, like living water, into our communities.

What would it look like if we all gave each other grace

instead of harboring resentments and sowing division?

What does it look like for our congregation to be like Mary, Simon Peter, and John

and to really go out into the world to share the good news of Jesus’ resurrection

and the gift of forgiveness and eternal life?

How can we show Newton that our church means business…and our business is LOVE?

After all, that is what we’re about? Amen?

Then let us live into our LORD’s RESURRECTION

and be the church that LOVES it’s community for the sake of Jesus Christ and his eternal kingodm! Amen.