Easter Sunday - John 20:1-18 “Resurrection Ramifications”

You are listening to a message from Southwood Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama.

! Our passion is to experience and express grace. Join us.

What a joy to hear you all sing. In case you haven't noticed it yet, that's our story around here.

It's life and hope and grace found not in ourselves,

but in our crucified and risen Savior, Jesus Christ. That's all we got, okay? That's all you're

going to hear. It's not going to get any better than that, even though I will take more than 10

minutes to talk about it. See, I only talked for two minutes this morning at the sunrise service,

so you should have come earlier because this time it takes me longer to say the same thing.

But that's okay, right? Because y'all wanted to hear me talk about Jesus a little bit, right?

That's what we came for. Is that okay? Please say yes. Yes. Okay. Maybe. What a joy that is.

That it's not that y'all specifically want to hear me talk about Jesus, but that I get the privilege of

telling people I love about God who loves them. Man, what a joy. I get that privilege regularly,

and especially on Easter, we get a chance to say He's here, and we're hearing from Him because He's with us.

That's why we've been studying through the book of John over the last years

to encounter Jesus Himself through the eyes of His closest friend. Now, nearly everyone in the world

believes that Jesus lived. That's true for almost everyone. In fact, most people acknowledge that

His life was a turning point in world history where we even count years before His birth and after His birth.

Many have observed that His life fulfilled many prophecies that were written hundreds of years

before His birth. Statisticians tell us that the odds of one person fulfilling even just 48 of these

prophecies are something like 1 in 10 to the 157th power. It looks something like that. I don't do great

with math, but it means it's rather unlikely. And scholars estimate that Jesus fulfilled over 300,

not 48, but over 300 such prophecies. But the one of those that people have the most trouble

believing He fulfilled is the one we're specifically talking about today. Some people actually believe

not just that Jesus lived, but that He lived twice, that He walked out of the grave. That may seem crazy,

but I'd suggest to you this morning each of us has to decide what we're going to do with Jesus.

What do we believe about Him? He's such an influential figure. He's one who, from what we're told,

invites us to be a part of something history-changing, life-changing, bigger than ourselves.

Don't we long to be a part of something bigger than ourselves? What are we going to do with Jesus?

What would the ramifications be for our world and for our lives if He did rise from the dead,

if He did live twice, if He does live now? What difference does that make?

I'd invite you to consider that with me as we consider John's first story of the risen Jesus.

Jesus. Many in these first 19 chapters we've studied have encountered Jesus,

but now He's died on a cross. He's been confirmed dead by Romans and Jews. He's been buried.

And this first Easter morning will be the first encounter with Jesus newly alive.

Follow along as I read the first 18 verses of John 20. This is God's Word.

I'm going to read from the Gospel of John, actually, not from Revelation chapter 20.

Revelation 20 · chapter mention

That was about to be really interesting.

Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early while it was still dark

and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.

So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved,

and said to them,

They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.

So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb.

Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.

And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.

Then Simon Peter came, following Him, and went into the tomb.

He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head,

not lying with the linen cloths, but folded up in a place by itself.

Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in,

and he saw and believed.

For as yet they did not understand the Scripture that He must rise from the dead.

And then the disciples went back to their homes.

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb.

And as she wept, she stooped to look into the tomb.

And she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had lain,

one at the head and one at the feet.

They said to her, Woman, why are you weeping?

She said to them, They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.

Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing.

But she did not know that it was Jesus.

Jesus said to her, Woman, why are you weeping?

Whom are you seeking?

Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him,

Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.

Jesus said to her,

Mary.

Mary.

She turned and said to Him in Aramaic,

Rabboni, which means teacher.

Jesus said to her, Do not cling to Me,

for I have not yet ascended to the Father,

but go to My brothers and say to them,

I am ascending to My Father and your Father,

to My God and your God.

Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples,

I have seen the Lord,

and that He had said these things to her.

Pray with me.

God, we need Your help this morning.

You sent Mary to tell.

You've sent me to tell of this.

You've sent us to tell.

And we need help to know, to understand, to believe, to be changed.

We ask for Your Spirit to speak through Your Word to our hearts.

That we might not just hunt some eggs and dress up and take some pictures,

but that we might meet Jesus,

knowing that we'll never be the same if we do.

And so we ask it in His name.

Amen.

Amen.

John knows how to set a grand stage.

He opens His book with,

in the beginning.

And He then proceeds to tell,

not about the creation of the earth,

that's the one that starts that way back in Genesis,

but about the Creator of the earth.

The One who spoke light into darkness

was coming to shine light into darkness.

darkness.

Darkness, see,

because right after that Genesis account of creation,

we see Adam.

Adam's the gardener put in that beautiful garden,

and he messes up the world

by preferring his own way to God Himself.

Darkness enters.

Death.

Distance from God.

These are the stories of human history.

And now,

John begins to show us something so grand

that it could only be described

as new creation.

Notice just a couple details in verse 1.

On the first day of the week,

that's when it all started in the beginning,

in a garden,

out of darkness,

life coming out of the tomb.

Mary,

I'll tell you more about her in a few minutes.

She's a follower of Jesus.

She encounters then a gardener

coming this time,

not to bring death to the world

by His selfish rebellion,

but rather to bring life to the world

by His selfless sacrifice.

Something is really different.

New creation is happening.

That's the stage John sets.

So if you think

that we're overblowing

the scope of this story

by wearing fancy clothes

and singing happy songs,

trust me,

I can't do justice

to how magnificent,

how life-changing,

how earth-shattering

this story should be.

But as grand as this story is,

it is profoundly personal.

Personal in two ways

that I don't want us to miss this morning.

We'll just look at those two things.

First, notice the personal resurrection.

I know that was a tough first point

to figure out on Easter.

Maybe a bit obvious

if you read the passage.

But the focus of this entire account

is a person.

Jesus.

Why is His tomb empty?

Where's His body?

What's going on with His grave clothes?

Who moved His body

and where'd they take it?

It's concern about Jesus Himself

that sends Mary

to find Peter and John,

that sends them rushing to the tomb.

And there,

these two disciples view

the linen cloths

that Joseph and Nicodemus

have carefully wrapped

Jesus' body in.

And John describes it for us

in what can only be described

as firsthand detail.

This is what He saw.

The word for saw

used here is one that means

analyzed,

reasoned about,

considered.

The cloths and the face cloth

folded up and lying separately.

John starts thinking

that they have the appearance

of a body inside them

having just disappeared.

That's what the words mean.

They're neatly still in place

like think of a chrysalis

that a butterfly

has just come out of

and you see where it was.

And John starts thinking

to himself,

well, hold on,

this is no work of friends

who never would have exposed

Jesus' naked,

tortured body

if they were taking it away.

On the other hand,

this is no work of enemies.

No, grave robber

would slow down

to unwrap a body

and then carefully,

carefully lay the cloths

right back in place.

No way,

not when grave robbery

is a capital crime.

It's not happening.

Something otherworldly

is going on here.

John looks

and sees

and believes.

This must be,

he's seen too many of it.

It must be miracle working

Jesus again.

He doesn't know everything.

He didn't understand

that the prophecies

said a resurrection

would happen

but John believed

Jesus was alive.

Think about that.

Jesus,

the man we

walked and talked with,

the one that we

ate with,

we've been with him

for three years.

We just saw him

hung on a cross.

He's alive.

He really

bodily,

bodily rose

from the grave

and appeared to

hundreds of people

in the days ahead.

More to come

next week.

But that's the story

of the Bible, y'all.

That's the good news

of Jesus.

See,

Christianity

is about

a person.

I don't want to

overcomplicate it

this morning.

His personal

bodily resurrection

is at the heart

of the message

that changes the world

and keeps changing it.

Just as John

was careful

last week

to show us

that Jesus

was really dead,

now he is careful

to testify to us

that Jesus

is really alive.

And that's a huge deal.

It's really important.

We'll just start

with this reason

because remember,

we had real debt.

Remember that?

That we'd accrued

against God?

We had real debt

that needed a real payment

to be made

for that debt.

And Jesus said what?

It is finished.

Remember on the cross?

Paid in full

as he poured out

his life

on the cross.

And now this empty grave

is the receipt,

if you will,

for that payment

that Jesus has made

in full

for our debt.

Listen,

when Jesus wrote

that check,

it didn't bounce,

did it?

That credit card

did not get declined.

The God of all,

the Lord and giver of life,

accepted that payment

of the sin-bearing substitute

and says,

paid in full.

We need it to be real.

Real human flesh

paid for real human sin

and rose in a real human resurrection.

A nice idea of resurrection

won't do it.

See,

I want to make sure

you hear how important

this is.

Because even many churches

across the city

and beyond

will tell you today

to think about ideas

like resurrection,

new life,

hope for change.

but they'll say

the story of the resurrection

that we just read

is pretty far-fetched.

It's a metaphor.

It's a powerful idea

with really no basis in reality.

But don't worry,

it doesn't need to be real.

It's a powerful idea.

I mean,

right here,

many of us

go to this church

and others

just because

we want our kids

raised on the principles

of Jesus.

Because the moral structure

is commendable.

Because they really need it

these days.

But listen,

Christianity

is not about

a set of principles.

It's about a person.

Jesus' resurrection,

never more to die,

gives you a true reason

to care for this world

and the people

who live in it.

Because they will truly last.

It's not true

that the motivation

to moral living

is just the same

regardless of the reality

of the resurrection

and eternal hope.

I mean,

just prove that to you

with a couple of examples.

Think about that.

Consider the motivation

of a group of workers

who are building a house

that they're told

that they will personally live in

for the next 50 years

after they finish it.

versus their motivation

if you tell them

as they begin the project

that right after they finish it,

a tornado is gonna blow through,

destroy the house

and nobody will ever live in it.

It's a different motivation.

Consider a group of students

working on a group project

that they're told

will never be graded.

How hard you gonna work, kids?

Pouring all your extra time

into that one?

What about the difference

if you're told

that the grades you make

on this will be

the only thing

that will decide

whether or not

you get into college?

All of a sudden

there's a different motivation.

Consider even the difference

in a teenager

getting dressed

to go to bed

versus getting dressed

for pictures

that will live on online.

I assure you

there's a difference.

The motivation

is different

when the result

really lasts.

So Jesus,

rather than

tell us to care

for the earth

even though it will

eventually implode

and cease to exist,

rather than tell us

to be kind

to people near death

who won't exist

afterwards,

rather than tell us

to pursue

a just society

even though it's

an accidental blip

on a cosmic radar

and soon will disappear,

Jesus says,

care for the earth

because I'm alive

and remaking it

into my eternal home

with you.

That's what Easter says.

Jesus says,

love your neighbors

because they're made

in the image

of a God

who's alive

and they will live

bodily,

personally,

forever.

Jesus says,

pursue justice

on behalf

of the oppressed

because even your

feeble efforts

here are not in vain

because I'm alive

and I will set

all wrong things

right forever.

Come with me

in that,

I'm doing an amazing

work,

he says.

All of that is true

because Jesus

really rose

from that tomb.

If he didn't rise,

we are still

in our sins.

We have no receipt

to prove otherwise.

We're to be pitied

for living

only for this life.

Oh,

if he didn't rise,

you might as well

live very different lives.

But Christ

has been

raised

from the dead.

Nothing

can stop God

from bringing life

to this world.

He's recreating,

right?

Remember that Jesus

and John

is showing us

what God

is really like

in the flesh.

Here he is

powerful

to recreate

light

overcoming

darkness,

life

invading death.

That's why we celebrate

Easter

because there's

real hope.

If you want

to make me cry,

it's apparently

easier these days.

Someone said to me

the other day,

well,

it's like two out of

three sermons lately.

Yeah.

I don't think

it's that bad.

Don't check the tape

on that.

If you want

to make me cry,

just show me

videos of

soldiers

returning from

war

to surprise

their families

at a sporting

event

or a school

or wherever

it is.

It gets me

every time.

The personal

impact of

dad

or sister

or husband

showing up.

It's so powerful.

I told you

a few weeks ago

of the young boy

whose dad

went off to war

and he kept

a picture

of his dad

beside his bed

to comfort him

when things

were hard.

But one night

when it was

really hard,

that wasn't

enough.

And he,

through his tears,

said to his

mother,

I just want

daddy to come

out of the

frame.

He wanted

his father

there

personally,

bodily,

not just another

picture,

not just a nice

thought or an

idea of dad.

and we

reflected then

how wonderful

it was that

our heavenly

father comes

out of the

frame to

enter into

our sorrows.

That Jesus

really suffers

in this world,

in the flesh.

He doesn't leave

us alone in our

pain.

But can you

imagine how

much more

amazing,

how much more

life changing

it would be

if that young

boy had just

been told

that his dad

died in

combat?

How many

more tears

he cried?

How much

more desperate

he was?

And then a few

days later his

dad shows up

and wraps his

son in his

arms and lifts

him up high.

Can you imagine

how much that

would change

things if he

not only came

out of the

frame but

walked out of

the grave?

Not merely

entering our

suffering with

us but conquering

our greatest

enemy for us?

How much

more does that

change things?

How much

more joy?

How much

more life?

How much

more hope?

Interestingly,

Peter and

John don't

yet encounter

the risen

Jesus, do

they?

Not in this

story.

They do what

you might do

this Easter,

they go back

to their

homes.

See, they

have the

principles but

not yet the

person.

and it's

not enough to

transform their

lives, is it?

Just wait.

Mary gets

to be first.

This is one of

my favorite

personal encounters

with Jesus in

the whole Bible.

I know some of

you really love

it too.

Mary stands

outside the

tomb, still

weeping.

The others

have gone

away.

Why?

Well, some

background may

help.

Jesus changed

Mary's life

completely just a

couple years ago

when he cast

seven demons

out from her.

She's been

following him

since then.

She was one of

the very few

friends at the

cross when

Jesus died with

him to the

bitter end.

She is now

clearly grieving

the loss of

Jesus' life

changing presence

with her.

She's searching

everywhere for

his body.

We all know

tears like this.

I want to

encourage you to

put yourself in

the story here

for a minute.

It's a little

bit hard for

some of you

because I know

it's Easter and

you thought maybe

I'm safe coming.

They'll be happy

and they won't

make me think

about the hard

things.

I get it.

But we've all

cried tears like

this at the

grave of a

loved one.

Right?

Feeling that

ache of death

and separation.

Maybe the

tears are tears

of disappointment

in a life that

used to have

this clear path

that made sense.

A future that

was full of

hope and

purpose.

It was free

from death

and war

and injustice

and now that

life path

seems gone.

Maybe they're

fearful tears

for you.

Tears of not

being enough.

afraid demons

from my past

will catch up

to me now.

Some combination

of those tears

makes Mary

long for

Jesus.

Don't you love

how as you read

through these

verses

nothing will

satisfy her

except Jesus

himself.

Peter and

John

where's

Jesus?

two bright

shining angels

not even

distracted by

y'all.

Where's

Jesus?

People are

usually afraid

of us.

No, no,

where's

Jesus?

Some

gardener guy

outside the

tomb

not paying

attention to

him,

not even

giving him

the time

of day.

Where's

Jesus?

Not a

beautiful

longing.

But her

tears

and her

frantic grief

keep her

from recognizing

Jesus

until

Mary.

The good

shepherd

calls his

sheep by

name

and they

know his

voice.

There's a

personal

resurrection

of Jesus.

All of a sudden

things change

for Mary,

don't they?

That personal

resurrection of

Jesus means

there's a

personal

relationship

for Mary

with her

Lord.

His one

word

changes

everything.

He lives

my

teacher,

savior,

Lord.

Throws

herself

around him.

See,

because he

lives,

the demons

that haunt

Mary's life

are gone

forever,

aren't they?

He's already

shown his

power over

them once

and if this

is no

failed

Messiah,

no dead

rebel,

then he

is the

real deal

and those

demons

are really

defeated.

Nobody

else ever

could,

but this

guy,

if he's

with me,

I know

who's in

charge.

He's come

out of the

frame and

out of the

grave,

so I have

hope instead

of endless

sorrow.

I'm no

longer most

to be pitied

with hope

only for

this life

that maybe

I'll have a

little better

day tomorrow,

a little more

comfort next

time.

No,

no,

no,

eternal

life,

beyond the

grave with

all of

those things

removed from

it.

The good

news of

Jesus is that

he really

died to pay

the penalty

for all your

sins and

failures,

that he

really rose

from the

dead to

show that

God has

accepted that

payment in

full and

give you

resurrection

power.

Death no

longer holds

you captive.

It's a

personal thing

that Jesus

has done.

Pastor Andrew

Murray once

said,

a dead

Christ I

must do

everything

for.

A living

Christ does

everything for

me.

You get that?

Can you believe

that?

A living

Christ does

everything for

me.

He's paid it

all.

He's with me

now.

He's never

leaving me.

I can rest

in him.

That's true

that you may

still battle

demons because

we're all still

in this groaning

world.

But if you

trust this

resurrected

Savior, you're

united with

him today and

you will surely

be united with

him in a

resurrection like

his.

That's Romans

6.

You'll never be

the failure that

you're afraid you

are.

You'll be the

glorious child of

God that he

created you to

be forever.

Your best days

are always ahead.

That's the good

news of Jesus.

Because he lives,

Mary's now known

instead of

insignificant,

distant from

the one who

loves her.

Jesus doesn't

preach a long

sermon, does

he?

Some of us

could learn

from that.

He doesn't

spend a lot of

time with her

explaining how

resurrection works,

the nature of

the new body,

glorified.

what does he

do?

He calls her

name.

Do you need

to hear Jesus

speak your name

this morning?

It really helps

if you're named

Mary.

You can't really

read yourself

right in.

Do you need to

hear him say

Joseph,

Gabriella,

David?

David?

Jesus sees you.

Jesus understands

your tears.

He knows your

sorrows,

yours specifically,

and he comes to

you to call you

his own

by name,

not forgotten,

no way.

you're not

abandoned,

not by him.

He will never

let Mary go,

even when she

has to leave

his side for

the mission on

which he sends

her.

It's okay,

she can't

because he's

with her.

Because he

lives,

she's no longer

alone.

In fact,

she has a new

community

instead of

isolation.

Notice what he

sends her to

announce to his

disciples,

to embrace

for herself.

tell my

brothers,

Jesus says,

that my

father is

their father,

that my

God is

their God.

Jesus'

resurrection

brings us

into a

family with

people of

all sorts

of stories

and none

of us has

it all

together.

None of

us has

it all

figured out.

I mean,

think about

that.

Are you

serious,

Jesus?

These

failures who

just abandoned

you,

who fell

asleep at

the wheel

when you

really needed

them,

who let

you down,

tell them

to buzz

off while

you win

the victory

and claim

all of the

glory for

yourself.

You tell

them,

Jesus,

nope.

Go tell

my brothers,

he hasn't

called them

that often,

go tell my

brothers that

you've seen

me and that

I say,

we're family

forever.

forever.

What grace

in Jesus'

words.

Remember,

Jesus is

showing us

what God

is like

in the

flesh.

We've

already

seen his

power to

bring life,

to recreate.

Now we

see part of

that new

creation is

remaking us

in his

image,

in his

family.

What do

we see

about God

here?

We need to

know this,

that nothing

can stop him

from being in

relationship with

you,

nothing.

That's why

he's made

the long

journey,

fought the

enemy,

paid the

price,

faced death

itself head

on,

emerged from

the grave

victorious,

and come

back to

call you by

name,

to call you

by name

and say,

I understand

your tears.

I know

you're

hurting.

I know

life is

hard.

I've

lived it.

I know

death looms.

I've felt

it.

That's why

I came

and I've

come back

for you

to wipe

all of

your

tears

away.

I don't

know all

of the

reasons you

may have

tears

today.

I will

tell you

after the

sunrise

service,

in just

a few

minutes,

people came

up to talk

to me about

tears from

miscarriage,

job loss,

death of

a loved

one,

depression,

debilitating

injury.

Y'all,

it's Easter.

And this

is what

we're sharing

with one

another about.

Saying,

well,

sometimes I

can't even

see Jesus

through all

the tears.

It's too

hard.

It's too

much.

I don't

know what

it is for

you,

but I know

this.

Derek said

it at the

beginning of

the service.

If Jesus

really walked

out of the

grave and

really calls

you by name,

then whatever

it is,

it's going

to be okay

in the end.

it will

be.

You can

trust him.

No matter

how hard

it is,

and it's

really hard

and you

don't have

to pretend

it's not.

He's got

this.

He's alive.

He's got

you.

Just a couple

of years ago,

the last time

I preached

this passage,

he showed up

in my life.

I was in

a season

of excessive

self-focus.

I was not

caring well

for others.

I could feel

it.

I was frustrated.

I was disappointed

in myself.

I was thinking

things like,

I know the

principles about

Jesus,

but Jesus

himself,

the person,

feels distant.

I was saying,

I need him

to show up,

but I'm afraid

he won't.

But he did

to remind me

that I was

his

and that he

had me.

Just last week,

I was

confessing

some sins

to a trusted

friend.

He listened

patiently,

took a while,

usually does

when I talk,

especially does

when I need

to confess.

When I finally

stopped,

he said

something like

this.

Will,

before I

share something

with you,

I just want

you to know

those things

in your heart

and life

are real

and awful.

Jesus went

to the cross

and paid

for them

completely.

And he rose

from the grave

because he

wanted you

to live

with him

even though

you struggle

like this.

Will,

he loves you

even when

you don't

feel lovable.

It was as

though

sitting at

Eggs Up Grill,

Jesus

called me

by name

and spoke

to me

words of

life

and grace

and peace

to my heart.

It was like

he spoke

of himself.

what a gift

that is.

Maybe you're

wondering this

morning if that

personal relationship

with Jesus

is real

or just

pastor talk,

church speak.

I'd encourage you

not to take my

word for it

but would you

ask Jesus

himself?

Would you

set aside

some time

to talk

with him?

To ask

Jesus if he's

real to speak

to you,

to read his

word,

maybe just

read through

the gospels,

Matthew,

Mark,

Luke,

John over

the next few

days to

encounter

Jesus.

It doesn't

take real

long,

honestly.

Ask him

to show

you who

he is.

Because I

mean here's

the deal

for me,

if Christianity

is a person

not a set

of principles

don't reject

it without

encountering

him.

In fact

if Christianity

is a person

not a set

of principles

don't claim

to embrace

it without

encountering

him.

You may be

in church

like this

every Easter

and you

may think

none of

this stuff

about Jesus

matters at

all.

Would you

ask him

to show

you who

he is?

Ask Jesus

to call

you by

name.

Ask him,

challenge him

to show

you how a

relationship

with him

can change

your life.

And it's

not just

you.

This is

why you

can be

assured

that

everything

no matter

what it

is

everything

will

ultimately

be

okay.

See because

he's alive

entering into

a relationship

with Jesus

believing into

him makes

you part

of something

bigger than

yourself

just like

you've been

longing for.

We saw

hints of

this in

bringing you

into community

but Jesus

says he's

making all

things

new

not just

you.

Listen to

Revelation

21.

The dwelling

place of

God is

with man.

He will

dwell with

them and

they'll be

his people

and God

himself will

be with

them as

their God.

He will

wipe away

every tear

from their

eyes and

death shall

be no more.

Neither shall

there be

mourning or

crying or

pain anymore

for the

former things

have passed

away and

the one

seated on

the throne

says behold

I am

making all

things

new.

Remember

John has

given us

an account

of a new

creation

so life

starts to

flow doesn't

it?

Not just

to Mary's

soul as

wonderful as

that is

but to her

body as

her tears

clear and

she can see

Jesus.

Not only to

her but also

to the people

around her

that Jesus

sends her

to.

Not only to

all those

people but

but to

the entire

creation

groaning

since our

rebellion

broke it

to the

to the

world

that is

haunted by

death

that will

now be

flooded with

life

because God

has come

to live

here and

that's what

happens when

he's present.

Jesus will

make this

world new

with passionate

commitment

because he

like Mary

like you and

me has

shed tears

at the grave

of a loved

one hasn't

he?

He knows

those tears

he hates

death

he longs

to remove

all its

effects on

the world

and people

he lovingly

created

you can count

on his

commitment

to wipe

all of those

tears away

one day

he's going

to make

all things

new

he's going

to destroy

death

forever

swallow it

up in

his victory

make his

blessings

flow as

far as

the curse

is found

joy to

the world

the Lord

has come

and he's

coming back

alive

forever

never more

to die

that's our

hope

Jesus wipes

Mary's tears

away

with his

personal

presence

and then he

sends her to

share the good

news

what is it?

I've seen

the Lord

tears

are being wiped

away

mourning

is over

because death

has died

because Jesus

is alive

your relationship

with God

and then

your

relationship

with your

spouse

your

kids

your

parents

your

friends

your

neighbors

your

body

your work

your schedule

whatever it is

that's broken

and is tormenting

you

all of those

relationships

now have

hope

not in the

mere idea

or the

power of

positive

thinking

but in a

risen

savior

and the

power of

a life

giving

relationship

healing

God

who walked

out of

the frame

to enter

your pain

and walked

out of

the grave

to give

you life

forever

let's pray

Jesus

I just

ask

this

morning

that

you

would

encounter

each

of

us

that

you

would

speak

personally

and

powerfully

because

we need

to hear

your

voice

I do

all

of us

do

would you

assure us

of your

love

would you

remind us

of your

power

would you

comfort us

with your

presence

never ever

to leave us

thank you

that you're

alive

we rejoice

in that

and we

thank you

in your

name

amen

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information

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