Easter is amazing because God wins. Light overcomes the darkness. Jesus is raised from the dead. We're given freedom and a way to God the Father. And that gives me comfort because there's always something to be thankful for and grateful for and joyful for. Easter is important to me because...
of hope. Hope means that Jesus Christ has come to die for your sins. Easter's about when Jesus died on the cross for his sins and three days later he rose again to make us a place in heaven. Easter to me is a celebration of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Before knowing Jesus, my life definitely lacked direction. It definitely lacked purpose and the peace of knowing where I'm going after this life. I'd be lying if I said that my life all of a sudden got easy when I became a Christian. I feel like in a lot of ways it got much harder and I still definitely have struggles.
However, I know that I can rest in Jesus, that it's nothing that I'm doing to get to heaven, but it's what he did. And it's his finished work on the cross. And that just shows his true grace for us and how much he truly loves us, that he laid down his life for us. So Easter for me is just a reflection of all of that and how easy he made it for us to just be with him. We are saved by grace through faith. And that is just the most beautiful gift of all time.
It was still dark on that first Easter morning. The hearts of Jesus' followers were still broken. Everything had fallen apart. The one they had followed, that they believed to be the Messiah, was dead and in a tomb. Three years of hope, listening to his teaching and watching his miracles, daring to believe that the world was about to change. Instead, all of it was now silent, sealed behind a stone.
Mary Magdalene makes her way to the tomb while it's still dark, still grieving the loss. Peter and John would end up running to the tomb, desperate to make sense of the impossible, and the rest of the disciples would be locked in a room, afraid for their lives, convinced the moment was over. And one disciple, Thomas, questions it all. But in the span of a single day, everything shifts. Despair gives way to joy, fear turns into faith, and this handful of confused, grieving followers become the first witnesses to the most important event in all human history.
Welcome to Easter Sunday with Mountain View Church. My name is Jeremy, and if this is your first time watching or listening, we would love to connect with you at mountainview.church slash connect or on social media at Mountain View Whitehorse. Today, we're opening up to the Gospel of John, chapter 20. We'll look at three encounters, real people in three different kinds of struggle, and each one shows us what happens when the resurrected Jesus steps into their sorrow and skepticism. My hope is that through today's teaching, you might encounter Jesus for the first time, or perhaps rekindle the devotion and love you have for him and have had for some time. Let's get started.
My name is Katerina. Our scripture reading for today is from John chapter 20, verses 1 through 29. You are invited to follow along with a physical Bible where you can search the table of contents to locate the corresponding page number for John. Or alternatively, you can download a Bible app or visit Bible.com. 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 who Jesus loved, and said to them,
They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't 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. 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? Who 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. On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, Peace be with you. When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them. If you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld. Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the twin, was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples told him, we have seen the Lord. But he said to them, unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails and place my finger into the mark of these nails and place my hand into his side, I will never believe. Eight days later, his disciples were inside again and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, peace be with you. Then he said to Thomas, put your finger here and see my hands and put out your hand and place it in my side.
Do not disbelieve, but believe. Thomas answered him, My Lord and my God. Jesus said to him, Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. Mary arrives at the tomb and finds a stone rolled away. Her mind goes to the worst possible explanation, that someone has taken the body. She runs to get Peter and John, and when the two of them come and take a look, they see the grave clothes folded and the linen face cloth set to the side.
John tells us that he saw and believed, but neither of them yet understood that Jesus had to rise from the dead. So they go home. Mary stays. She's weeping outside the tomb. When she looks in and sees two angels sitting there, the body of Jesus had once been. They ask her why she's crying, and her answer tells us everything. She says, they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him. Even after seeing angels, she's still confused. She's disoriented and heartbroken. But then she turns around and sees a man she assumes is the gardener.
He asks a similar question. Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking? She asks if he knows where the body is, but then he says one word, Mary. Then suddenly she recognizes him. Calling her by name was significant. It snapped her out of that mourning, that grief, and suddenly she was on a mission to tell the disciples, which makes sense based on what we know about the human brain in modern science. You see, when we hear our own name, it activates the brain differently than any other word that's spoken.
When our name is spoken by a familiar voice, that's even more important, it triggers high levels of attention and presence all at once. So it's kind of fascinating when we think back to that account that Mary doesn't recognize Jesus by sight, and maybe it's just the grief, we don't really know, but she immediately recognizes him when he calls her by name. You see, the risen Christ continues to call people by name, even in the darkest moments. When grief has set in and hope feels gone, Jesus is there. He's calling you. He's calling you to see him. He's there, waiting. Can you hear him?
This Easter, recognize Jesus in your despair. When you can't see him through the grief, slow down and listen. The same Jesus who called Mary by name is calling you by name. Now that same evening, the disciples are behind a locked door. John tells us that they were afraid. The man they followed had just been executed by the authorities. So it makes sense. They had every reason to believe that they might be next. Then suddenly and miraculously, Jesus is just standing there and says, peace be with you.
He doesn't ask them, where have you been? He doesn't say, hey, why did you run and hide? Instead of judgment and disappointment, the first words the risen Jesus speaks to the disciples who had abandoned him are the words of peace. He speaks it again, peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you. Then the scriptures tell us that he breathes on them to receive the Holy Spirit. The same disciples who were hiding behind locked doors are now going to be commissioned by Jesus under the power and authority of the Holy Spirit. Their fear has been replaced by a calling to share the good news of Jesus with the entire world.
You see, fear has a way of locking us up, doesn't it? We might lock down emotionally, fearful of letting people in and trusting them. Maybe we lock down spiritually and we're fearful of hoping and praying again. Or we might stop engaging. We're scared to believe that anything will ever change. Thankfully, the locked doors of our heart and mind can't keep Jesus out. He appears in the middle of our fear. And so this Easter, receive Jesus in your fear.
whatever you've locked yourself behind, shame, grief, anxiety, or burnout, whatever it is, the risen Christ still walks through closed doors and speaks peace. He's speaking peace upon you. Now, remember that Thomas wasn't in that locked room. We don't know why, but when the others told him what happened, he didn't believe it. He said, unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails and place my finger into the mark of the nails and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.
Eight days go by and Thomas remains in disbelief. Then John tells us that the disciples are gathered together once again and Jesus shows up. But this time Thomas is there. Jesus tells Thomas to put his fingers into his hands and put his hand into his side. Just as he had requested prior without Jesus in the room, Jesus knows, he hears. He tells Thomas, do not disbelieve, but believe. And Thomas answers him, my Lord and my God. This is such an incredible moment.
It's the most complete and direct confession we find in the Gospel of John. And amazingly, the man who once doubted the most, he becomes the one who professes Christ the clearest. Then Jesus responds with words that continue to reverberate to this very day. He says, have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. You see, in that moment, Jesus is talking about us, you and me. We weren't in that room. We didn't get to see the wounds or feel the wounds. And so for those of us who have believed in Jesus, he calls us blessed.
Because in a way, we had to have more faith. And speaking of faith, some people come to faith through a sudden, undeniable moment of joy in salvation and meeting Jesus. But others get there through years of wrestling, long nights and hard questions, skepticism and doubt. There's all different types and ways that people come to faith in Jesus. But that's what I love about Thomas, because he shows us that both roads are valid. The road from doubt to belief is important to the resurrection story, regardless of how long or short it might be. And so when we think of that account, instead of disqualifying Thomas, Jesus doesn't do that.
He doesn't get mad that Thomas had questions for him. He simply reveals himself to Thomas in the way he needed it. And so this Easter, respond to Jesus even in your doubt. Don't bury your doubts. Bring them to Jesus. Don't bury your skepticism because the same hands that were pierced for you are patient enough to answer all your questions and allow you to feel for him, even if it is in the spiritual. And I get it. Maybe you're watching or you're listening right now and you're still skeptical. Maybe you connect with Thomas.
And yet, it's easy to dismiss an ancient story in an ancient text. And maybe you're thinking it has little to do with modern life. It has little to do with your life. This can't really be a thing, can it? If this is what you're thinking or feeling, I'd like to introduce you to Dan. He walked into our Easter gathering last year with his family. He came with a lot of questions, doubts, and a lot of unknowns. But he showed up. And wouldn't you know it, Jesus met him there. Here's Dan's story.
Hey Mountain View, my name is Dan. My family and I have been attending Mountain View church services for just a little over a year now. And before that, I was definitely exploring Christianity and reading the Bible, maybe even looking at YouTube videos. But it was last year around this time when Jesus finally put his foot down and told me, okay, it's time for you and your family to go and be active members of his community. And so that's what we did. And we didn't know at the time, but Jesus was doing this for a reason. And it was that 2025 was going to be, and it was, our most challenging year as a family that we hopefully ever have to endure. You know, we had some terrible, unfortunate things happen to our family in 2025. And Jesus was there for us. He was our anchor in the storm. If it wasn't for...
our family's deepening faith in Jesus and having him there with us to walk us through that terrible point in time, it probably wouldn't have gone so well. So this Easter, I'm definitely taking the time to reflect on how awesome it is to have Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. He's not a disconnected God. He's one that lived a human life, fully God and fully human. He came.
And he lived just like you and I, except for a sinless life. But he lived and he felt the love, friendship, betrayal and suffering. And he even experienced death. And then, as we all know, three days later, he defeated death and rose again. Rose up to heaven to prepare a place for his children. And it's so awesome to know that as a Christian, all I need to do is believe in my heart and confess with my lips that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that he died for my sins.
And that Jesus is preparing a place for me in heaven. And that when my final curtain is drawn, I will be ushered in to live in the new kingdom with Jesus Christ, the way we were supposed to live without sin. And yeah, what an awesome thing. All right, guys. Happy Easter. Keep the faith. God bless you all. One year later, Dan and his family have been baptized. They're growing in their faith and they continue to follow Jesus.
Just like Mary, the disciples, and Thomas, Jesus is still meeting people right where they're at. And he's been doing it for 2,000 years. The names change, the struggles change, but Jesus never changes. Now, some might argue that Jesus meets us in our despair, our fear, and our doubt because he's compassionate. Well, that is true. He is compassionate, but that's not the whole reason. He meets us there because he's already been there. Sin brought all of it, and Jesus walked through it. And he came out the other side alive.
The resurrection isn't just a miracle. It's proof that the price of sin was paid in full on the cross and was accepted. The barrier between us and God has been removed by Jesus. He's gone through it all, paid for it all, carried it all. The apostle Paul rightly argues that if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. But thankfully, he has been raised from the dead. And because he's risen, you don't have to carry what he's already conquered. The sin in your life is paid for.
And so if you're confused like Mary, he's closer than you think and he knows your name. If you're afraid like the disciples, he's with you and he wants to give you peace. And if you're doubting like Thomas, he isn't offended by your questions and he wants to reveal the answers. So if this is your first Easter, I'm so glad you're here. The door is open to experience the risen Jesus. And it starts right here, right now with this prayer. Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner and I have struggled.
I believe that you sent Jesus to die on the cross for my sin. I believe that you raised him from the dead three days later. I need you in my life. Send your Holy Spirit to guide me from this day forward. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. If you prayed that prayer today, please let us know or tell someone you know who already follows Jesus. We want to connect with you and take this faith journey with you. We want to walk with you. And I'm sure there's someone else that you know who's maybe a Christian, a Christ follower, and they want to walk with you too.
But either way, please let us know. Mountainview.church slash connect. There is a form there you can fill out. You can drop prayer requests there. Any of that, just let us know. Or if it's easier for you, whatever social network you might be interacting with this content on or that you're often using, you can just go to at Mountain View Whitehorse and drop us a message. And if this content has been helpful, please consider subscribing to our YouTube channel and then turn on those notifications so you can receive each week's message in your feed. Now, before you go, we do have a few updates on what's coming up in the weeks ahead, and we would love to keep you connected with those as well. Here we go.
Hi Mountain View, my name is Haley and this is my husband Alex. I'm the ministry leader for the Young Adults Ministry, which is open to anyone ages 18 to 35. We do social events once per month and anyone is welcome even if you've never been to an event before. And this month's event is going to be on Sunday, April 19th from 2 to 4 p.m. We're going rock climbing at the new rock climbing gym in Whistlebent. Yeah, so no prior experience is required. Your admissions and any rentals for harnesses or shoes if you need it will be covered. All you need to do is show up in athletic clothing and make sure that you RSVP to Haley at mountainview.church. Hope to see you there!
Hi, Church. I'm Ben. I'm Ero. And I'm Tyrell from the Junior Youth Ministry. We've got two quick announcements for you today. First, there will be no Junior Youth on Easter Sunday, April 5th. Second, mark your calendars for April 19th. We're inviting everyone, family, friends, and the whole community to join us for a special movie night featuring David the Movie. This event is in collaboration with our Community Outreach Ministry, and it is all about faith, connection, and a great story.
Again, it will be on April 19, 6 to 8 p.m. here at Mountain View Church. This is an all-ages event, so bring your family and invite your friends. Admission is just $1. You can pay online or at the door. Come, relax, connect, and enjoy a great night together. If cost is ever a barrier, please come anywhere. We'd love to have you there. We'll see you on April 19. Finally, we want to invite you back next week as we launch our new teaching series from the Book of Ruth. Most of our lives aren't made up of big, dramatic moments. It's mostly normal days, small decisions, and seasons that feel...
for lack of a better word, unremarkable. And yet the book of Ruth shows us that God doesn't just appear in the big moments of life. He's sometimes there in the ordinary moments, walking with us. So if you've ever wondered whether God is at work in the mundane parts of your life, join us next Sunday as we begin Ruth's story to find God in the ordinary days of life. Hope to see you there.
If you prayed to receive Jesus today or would like to connect with our church community, visit mountainview.church and click the connect link. If this podcast and radio ministry has been a blessing to you, please consider partnering with us or making a tax-deductible donation at mountainview.church. Thanks for listening to Mountain View Church Audio. Join us next week for more Christ-centered teaching from the wilderness city of Whitehorse UConn.