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.
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.
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.
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,
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?
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.
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
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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