Reverend Ray Osborne, Senior Minister
Please Note That Most Messages Follow
The Revised Common Lectionary

What a glorious day this has been thus far! I must confess that I find it hard to speak following the kind of massive breakfast we had this morning! That was nothing less than a meal fit for a king. There is no way I could ever speak on the subject of gluttony following that one!

Had you been near the tomb of Jesus on the first Easter morning one of the sounds you could have heard was the sound of a woman crying. Her name was Mary Magdalene — and she was wrenched by sorrow.

She was crying the cry of grief. Jesus, her Lord, had died the previous Friday afternoon. He had died in shame and agony on a cross outside the gates of Jerusalem.

One day a tourist visited a little chapel out in the Pacific Northwest. It was a frame church and had stained glass windows and a beautiful altar. As he left the church, he stopped to sign the guest register. Leafing through the pages to see if he recognized any of the names, he spied one particular entry. No name was listed, just the date and these words, “Thank you for a place to cry.”

Mary’s place to cry was at the tomb of Jesus. She was crying the cry of grief — the cry of an unwilling separation. Some of you know this cry.

Mary was also crying the cry of outrage. Jesus’ death was an act of cruel injustice. He had been innocent of crime, innocent of blasphemy, innocent of sin. And yet he had been executed in the cruelest of ways — crucifixion.

Listen. Listen quietly and you will hear her cry.

“Peter! Peter! Oh Peter come quick!”

“Mary what’s wrong? Calm Down and tell me what’s wrong!”

“Peter He’s gone!”

“Who’s gone Mary? Mary please calm down you’re frightening me.”

“Peter they have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him. Oh Peter please come and see what you can do!”

“I don’t understand it either Mary. Why there’s the shroud. And here’s his head covering. I don’t understand it Mary, I truly don’t. Mary come back to the house with us.”

“No Peter. I want to stay here.”

It was here, outside the empty tomb that Mary began to cry.

Time passed as Mary just sat there weeping bitter tears of love, grief, and anger. She got up and walked one more time into the tomb.

“Woman? Why are you weeping?”

The light was bright, so bright he could barely see.

“It looks like, it IS! God has sent his angels to this place!”

“I cry because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.”

As Mary then turned around she was startled by the presence of yet another man.

In as warm and gentle voice as Mary had ever encountered the man spoke: "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?"

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

At that moment the man spoke again only this time He spoke to her a word that no stranger would have known. He spoke to her in a way that no stranger would have spoken.

“Mary.”

He simply spoke her name and at that very moment she knew that it was Jesus.

Filled with excitement she ran all the way home.

“Peter, hold me. Just hold me. I can’t stop shaking. Feel it? Hold me tight Peter. I have stood in the place where Moses stood, and the world is spinning so fast –

Do you remember what you told me about Moses and Elijah with Jesus on the mountain, and you saw all three of them and then a cloud came, and Jesus grew so bright it blinded you, and the voice of God came down and roared, remember?

Peter, I believe you now! And I kiss you, dear friend because of it. I love you so much for telling me that story. O, Peter, I know how you felt! I know exactly. It was terror right? But much more than that: fear and love together.

Listen! I saw two angels dressed in white in the tomb! I did! It frightened me but I didn’t scream – not yet. Their raiment was so bright I had to turn my head and when I did I saw yet another man! He frightened me too but I still didn’t scream – not yet!

Peter he spoke my name! He said ‘Mary.’ Then I started to shake all over. Terror. Fear and wonder and love all mixed in me, and my body couldn’t take it. Oh, Peter, I still can’t take it, but I believe it. I believe it. I was standing in the very spot where Jesus came back to life! I realized at that very moment when I heard Him speak my name that it was Jesus! THEN I SCREAMED! I SCREAMED and shouted and cried and I wanted to reach out and hug Him but I couldn’t he would let me He said to me:

‘Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’

Oh Peter Jesus is Alive and He has sent me to tell you and to spread the GOOD NEWS! I have seen the Lord with my own eyes! Jesus is Alive! He’s Alive! He’s Alive!”

You’ve heard me say that I am well on my way to graduating from yet another school. In six months I will have completed over 90 semester hours of philosophy, theology, and Bible. I still don’t know all there is to know. I’m not sure that we all become Christians in the same way even. But this much I am confident of, the only way we come to truly believe in the resurrection of Jesus is when we, like Mary, recognize the voice of the Living Christ calling us by name. I have read all the evidence. Those who have set out to disprove Jesus have done a wonderful job of uncovering enough evidence that proved counterproductive to their task. They actually have provided us with enough physical evidence that the life and existence of Jesus is one of the most provable facts in history. But listen to me beloved I do not believe in Easter because of some clever argument or supposed proof — I believe in Easter because I have heard my Lord calling me by name and I have felt His touch upon, in and through my life.

I have often said that Christianity is not a “head thing.” Christianity is a “heart thing.” You probably won’t hear Him calling your name with your ears, but you will feel Him tugging at your heart.

Martha Saunders, a professor at University of West Florida, relates that when she was a little girl and was facing a hard decision she would turn to her grandmother and ask her what she should do. Her grandmother’s response was always the same: "Your heart knows"--then she would go on about what she was doing.

"My heart knows?" She would think to myself. "What's that supposed to mean? I need advice here. I need for you to tell me what to do." She would just smile and say, "Your heart knows, honey, your heart knows."

In frustration she would throw her hands on her hips and answer back: "Maybe so, but my heart isn't talking!" To this her grand mother would respond: "Learn to listen."

The reality of Easter comes only as you learn to listen to your heart.

Just as Jesus called Mary’s name He is calling yours. Listen with your heart and you will hear His voice.

Click Here To Receive FREE Notification When
New Sermons Are Posted

This Site is a Member of the Kerusso Sermon Web Ring.
[Skip Prev] [Prev] [Next] [Skip Next] [Random] [Next 5] [List Sites] [Join]

People Have Reviewed This Sermon