Sharing the Good News: Persistently and Pervasively

A message based on John 20:1-18:  Early in the morning on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb.  She saw that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance, so she ran off to Simon Peter and the other disciple—the one Jesus loved—and told them, “The Rabbi has been taken from the tomb!  We don’t know where they have put Jesus!”  At that, Peter and the other disciple started out toward the tomb.  They were running side by side, but then the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.  He didn’t enter, but bent down to peer in and saw the linen wrappings lying on the ground.  Then Simon Peter arrived and entered the tomb.  He observed the linen wrappings on the ground, and saw the piece of cloth that had covered Jesus’ head lying not with the wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself.  Then the disciple who had arrived first at the tomb went in.  He saw and believed.  As yet, they didn’t understand the scripture that Jesus was to rise from the dead.  Then the disciples went back to their homes. Meanwhile, Mary stood weeping beside the tomb.  Even as she wept, she stooped to peer inside, and there she saw two angels in dazzling robes.  One was seated at the head and the other at the foot of the place where Jesus’ body had lain.  They asked her, “Why are you weeping?”  She answered them, “Because they have taken away my Rabbi, and I don’t know where they have put the body.”  No sooner had she said this than she turned around and caught sight of Jesus standing there, but she didn’t know it was Jesus.  He asked her, “Why are you weeping?  For whom are you looking?”  She supposed it was the gardener, so she said, “Please, if you’re the one who carried Jesus away, tell me where you’ve laid the body and I will take it away.”  Jesus said to her, “Mary!”  She turned to him and said, “Rabboni!”—which means “Teacher.”Jesus then said, “Don’t hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to Abba God.  Rather, go to the siblings and tell them, ‘I’m ascending to my Abba and to your Abba, my God and your God!’”  Mary of Magdala went to the disciples. “I have seen the Teacher!” she announced.  Then she reported what the savior had said to her.