This morning’s passage is from John 20:1-18.

Verse 1 says:

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. (John 20:1 ESV)

As we open this passage we see that Mary Magdalene came to the tomb while it was still dark.

Now, in one way, this darkness refers to the morning time. In Jerusalem—Sunrise this morning is set to occur at 0619—until that time it was dark outside.

Mary was also under another kind of darkness. It was only three days ago that her Savior was hung on a tree and died there. He was her Savior! He was the giver of life to her—he had delivered her from seven demons, raised her brother from the dead, and she had washed His feet with her hair! This was more than just another man to her—she saw Jesus who He was the Savior of the World! But, now he lay in a tomb; Dead. All of her dreams dashed away. The true Savior that he had proven himself to be was now finished. And “Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark.”

This morning, you may have come to this service while it you are in darkness. Will you leave this place with the same burdens that you are under when you came? It maybe your job, it may be your kids, it maybe your spouse, or your health; are all of these problems overwhelming you and overshadowing the light that is in you? At 0644, our sunrise will happen, but will you be left in the dark?

Or will you see the light of hope?

As Mary did?

In the second part of verse 1, we see her get a glimpse of hope:

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. (John 20:1 ESV)

Could he have risen from the dead?

He’s raised other people from the dead before? He’s done many miracles in the last months she had walked with him! Could it actually be true?

If so, how is that going to change her life? How will her life be different from now on?

This is glimpse of hope! She sees what could be!

But, what about you? In your darkness, as you are burdened from all of your trials, mistakes, and, fears, what difference would it make if Christ was really raised from the dead? Would it change your perspective? Would what you think is important change? You have the opportunity to see a man that conquered death! How much more do you need to answer whether or not things will turn out ok?

And Mary does what everyone would do—she goes and tell some of her closest friends.

Verse 2;

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.” (John 20:2 ESV)

She told the disciples. They ran to the tomb, saw that it was empty, and skipping down to verse 10:

Then the disciples went back to their homes. (John 20:10 ESV)

Some of the most faithful followers of Christ saw the empty tomb, they saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth. They saw and believed but they did not understand the Scripture,

So, they simply went back home.

After all they had seen and heard; they still did not get it!

And before we get so smug—think about your own life!

We see what God can do in our live, but we are still fearful to witness, fearful to live for Him, fearful to believe that a man who can rise from the dead can make an impact in our everyday life.

We see marriages resurrected, lives put back on track, and people healed, but when it is time for us to truly make a decision, we simply head back home.

How would your life be different if you believed he really did rise from the dead?

And after they return home, we find Mary hanging on to her hope but confused and discouraged.

Verse 11:

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.” (John 20:11-13 ESV)

She gives in to her doubts. She doesn’t understand what is taking place. She is paralyzed. Even seeing an angel before her doesn’t clue her in to what is going on!

How many times in our life do we see miracles happen and return respond in doubt. We turn off the voice of God that whispers “BELIEVE!”

If we would simply believe and act on the truth that we say we know –we could change the WORLD!

How would your life be different if you believed he really did rise from the dead?

If we saw this we would have:

Changed Priorites.

Changed Marriages.

Changes Families.

Changed Churches.

Changed Units.

All because we truly believed in what we say is true.

Because if we believe that Jesus did rise the dead—there is no way we can ever be the same ever again.

But we continue in our doubts, as Mary did.

Mary continues her weeping and a man she thought was the gardener speaks to her.

And in her despair pleads with him:

“If you took him—tell me! And I will take care of Him!”

Then the gardener reveals his true identity—he is Jesus! He calls out her named saying “Mary!”

T was this moment that Mary sees that Jesus has risen from the grave! She immediately reaches out to grab him—to cling to him—to hug him in her excitement.

She believes!

Gone is her doubt!

Gone is her questioning—she sees her risen Savior! And this time she goes to the disciples and boldly proclaims; “I have seen the Lord!”

She knows the truth.

She knows that he died three days ago; he whom the Soldiers beat and bruised and hung on a tree; he whom was placed for two days in a borrowed tomb had just spoken to her and was alive!

This moment changed her life forever—from the weeping and questioning to the boldly proclaiming.

What kind of difference did the resurrection make in the disciples life?

All of them, but one, were killed for their faith—Josh McDowell points out that “people die all the time for a cause; how nobody dies for a lie!” The resurrection of Christ was true and the disciples lived the rest of their lives to tell this story to others.

So, what about you?

If you say that you believe is REALLY True; How are you going to live differently?

If Christ reall died on a cross for your sin—

If Christ really did rise from the dead—

If Christ really did come into your heart—

You will be different!

You will go from this day forward boldly proclaiming that YOU have seen the Lord!

You have seen him do miracles—

You have seen him mend your relationships—

You have seen him give you purpose—

What are you going to do—today?

The story of Easter is very clear.

We are all sinners. We have all said things, thought thing, and done things that disrespect God. And, honestly, we deserve death and hell for that sin. But Jesus was beaten and bruised and died on a cross in our place. We deserved the death, but he took it in our place. He rose again—defeating that death and taking that death away from those who accept his payment.

So the choice for you today—if you will believe—is to accept it.

And if you have accepted it—to boldly pass this good news to world who desperately needs his touch.

Let us pray.

—–

This sermon was preached at Heritage Chapel, Fort Lee, VA on 8 April 2012. All scripture marked ESV: The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Everyone has something they need to hear. Vow to tell them. –Hallmark

Currently, Hallmark.com has a campaign going on through their Facebook page. This is a page that encourages each us to tell people something positive  that they need to hear.

I first saw this on my wife’s t-shirt that has this written on it and it made me think.

We have so much negative that is said to us during the day—but not near enough positive. We need to be people that are spreading positive messages and there are so many ways to do it.

It could come from a Hallmark card.

It could come from a message on Facebook.

It could come from a simple word of encouragement.

People need this affirmation in there lives—Be the one to give it!

First, think about who needs to hear a word from you.  Not just a word—a word from you.

Then, commit to tell them at the earliest convenience. It is an important responsibility to tell others how important they are, how well they are doing, or how much you support them.

Be there for them. Do it today. Do not delay!

Life is a Special Occasion.—Hallmark

Several weeks ago, I entered a Hallmark Store to find a card to give to Monica, simply to express my love to her. When I walked in, I browsed the many cards to find the right one.  While browsing, I bought several other things that I needed—an address book and a nice book  about writing notes.

Because of the larger than normal purchase, the store gave me a bigger bag. When I put it on the seat next to me the latest slogan for Hallmark stared me in the face:

“ Life is a Special Occasion.”

It can sound trite, if you leave the statement as a slogan…but what if it were more?

Life is a special occasion.

Absolutely! The Bible says that  “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” (Psalm 139:14, ESV) Life is special—even mine…even yours!

What are you going to do with it?

Are you going to celebrate it?

The Bible also says;

“What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” (James 4:14 ESV)

It is not to be wasted! 

Our lives are special! Precious before God!

Take this day and celebrate what God has done for you!

Take this moment and reflect on how precious your life is.

Take this second to recommit to celebrate your life and to live your life with all of the excitement and pleasure that a special occasion brings!

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Genesis 2:24 ESV)

The first commandment regarding marriage in the Bible teaches us much about the place our spouse should be in regards to other relationships.

One of the biggest issues that I see happening to marriages is the lack of understanding of what marriage truly means.

It means leaving…

Leaving father and mother…and sisters and brothers…and cousins…

How many times to we hear of the influence of families affecting the marriage? This doesn’t mean that we ignore the family we grew up with—we are still to “honor or father and mother”. But it does mean “leaving”—in the real sense of being independent and making ones own decisions based on what is best for the marriage—not necessarily what is best for others outside the marriage.

It means leaving…

Leaving singleness…

Why do married people still go to the bar?  The bar is designed to “meet people” of the opposite sex..  If you are married, you have no business meeting people of the opposite sex for any kind of relationship other than professional.

I know people think this is crazy—but we must leave that single lifestyle behind. If you have a problem with it—ask yourself why is it such a big deal? Is there any good reason to meet another person from the opposite sex that your spouse can not provide?

It means leaving….

Leaving behind all others to make the marriage the priority.

I am convinced that keeping the emotional love tank full is as important to a marriage as maintaining the proper oil level is to an automobile.—Gary Chapman: The Five Love Languages.

As I’m driving down the interstate, the dashboard in my truck has a series of gauges. One of these is the oil gauge.  It, of course, tells how much oil I have in my engine.  This ensures that I keep the right amount of oil in the car, so that it doesn’t break down.

We don’t have an oil gauge on our spouse…or do we.

There have been times that I have missed a service on my truck.  I get busy and skip it. Each time I do this, I inch toward disaster.

In our relationships, we know when our communication breaks down, or our patience begins to run thin, or our interaction becomes distanced or strained.

We can ignore the warning signs and keep moving forward. Or we can stop pay attention to the signs that are showing.

When you begin to see these warning signs, pull over and assess what is going wrong.  The answer may lie in the amount of emotional fuel that is being put into your marriage. 

Are you running on empty? Fuel up!  Take time for one another.  Bring home something that will communicate your love.  Encourage one another—or simply say “I love you.”

Keeping the emotional fuel tank filled will do wonders to keep your relationship healthy and strong.

Total acceptance is the most important foundation in building your mate’s self-esteem. Without it, your marriage rests on the shifting sands of emotions.—Dennis and Barbara Rainey: Building Your Mate’s Self-Esteem

Face it—we are who we are.  We all come to marriage with strengths and weaknesses—some of us have quirky habits or hobbies, some of us have peculiar personalities, all of us have fragile egos.

Marriage is one place that we can receive total and complete acceptance for who we are.

Are you finding this in your marriage? Are you giving it in your marriage?

One of the key areas to building your marriage is to accept your spouse—as they are. Will your spouse make you mad? You bet! Will your personality rub your spouse the wrong way? Equally—a sure thing.

Total and complete acceptance allows for this.  It doesn’t shift.

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7—-

    Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Cor. 13:4-7 ESV)

That is total acceptance.

“Business relationships are frequently helped by recreational companionship. Why Not marriage?”—Ed Young: Romancing the Home

We know the picture. The one of business clients meeting on the golf course. Or, the company Christmas party. Or, the business lunch. All of these recreational acts designed to build a connection between buyer and seller…or client and customer…or manager and employee.

So why can’t we do that in marriage?

I am surprised many times when couples do nothing to improve the recreational side of their marriage. It seems as if once the wedding is over and the marriage begins, there is no need to build this relationship.

Is the deal complete?

Building the recreational companionship is all the more important after the marriage.  This is one of the greatest benefits to marriage—to always have a companion who believes in you, who supports you, who loves! Recreation builds trust and communication. It continues the relationship that blossomed while dating.

To truly connect with your spouse—get out of the house. Go to dinner.  Go play put-put. Go for a walk. If you have kids, put the kids to bed and watch a movie together or play a game.

If you are having a dry spell in your marriage, maybe you need to start networking with your spouse.

“The real issue is not whether you married the right person; it’s more an issue of your being the right person for your spouse.”

–H. Norman Wright: Communication: Key to your marriage.

There are times in counseling when a struggling married Soldier will come to me discussing his marital issues. The person will bring up his or her doubts in the person that he or she married. They will bring up some familiar statements:

“Maybe it was not meant to be.”

or

“Maybe I married the wrong person.”

The question sends the relationship in a tailspin—making the assumption that there is something wrong with the other person and the best way is to end the relationship-because they are simply not the right person and, therefore, will never be right.  There is no right or wrong choice—I do believe, through observation, some people are more challenging than others—but it all comes down to where YOU choose to be in the relationship.

If you are asking these questions; ask yourself—how can I make a change to meet my spouses needs?

Turn the focus back to yourself for the solution.

You can not control your spouse—no matter how hard you try.  And many times, we try to make the spouse that right person—when in actuality, we need to adjust to them. You can only control yourself—the variable that you have control over in building the relationship is you—so take change and discover ways to become the right person that your spouse desires you to be. Amazing things will happen as you take this step—even more amazing will happen, if you both take those steps.

Through an opportunity called Book Sneeze, I was provided a copy of “Your 100 Day Prayer” by John I. Synder. One of the endorsements in the front cover correctly puts this book in perspective. Cecil Murphy says;

“If you already enjoy a daily, satisfying prayer life, don’t read this book. But if you’re looking for something to stimulate you to become more faithful and systematic [this book] offers you an opportunity to focus on talking to God daily and making it an ongoing habit.”

This was the same reaction that I had while reading and working through this book.

While I am not perfect and still have room to grow, I already enjoy a system of prayer in my life.  This book doesn’t move me me forward.  I believe, however, that this book would have moved me forward several years ago when I was struggling with finding that “groove” for my prayer life.

“Your 100 Day Prayer” gives the reader a daily devotional passage to read—from scripture and then from the author, followed by a brief guided prayer. Acted on daily—with some serious commitment, a reader could use this book as a jump start to building a solid prayer life. The challenge is in committing to go through this book everyday. Like prayer—it isn’t rocket science; the struggle is in the daily getting up and taking time to conduct personal devotions.  This book gives the reader the tools to have something available to reflect on during that time alone with God.

I do recommend this book, if you are starting out or struggling with establishing a personal devotional life.

This year’s highlight gift for me was a new Diana Mini camera.

Functioning as a “Retro” camera, this 35mm film camera takes half frame photos and square format pictures.  It is a plastic camera.  I’m still learning how it all works—which is a challenge. It should be, but with today’s all automatic cameras going back old school takes an adjustment.

The photo above was take with ISO100 Color Negative print film (35mm). It was taken at an f-stop of f-8. In this day and age of quick photos—and quick edits, we don’t get the raw images you do with film.  You also don’t get the experience that comes with shooting film.

I enjoy shooting digital. But, I still have a love for film—the entire process is an experience and not just a “click.”