Friends in Christ Message for April 19, 2003

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Friends in Christ Weekly Message
April 19, 2003

     Mary Magdalene stood crying outside the tomb. She was still weeping, when she stooped down and saw two angels inside. They were dressed in white and were sitting where Jesus' body had been. One was at the head and the other was at the foot. The angels asked Mary, "Why are you crying?"
     She answered, "They have taken away my Lord's body! I don't know where they have put him."
     As soon as Mary said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there. But she did not know who he was. Jesus asked her, "Why are you crying? Who are you looking for?"
     She thought he was the gardener and said, "Sir, if you have taken his body away, please tell me, so I can go and get him."
     Then Jesus said to her, "Mary!"
     She turned and said to him, "Rabboni." The Aramaic word "Rabboni" means "Teacher."
John 20:11-16 (CEV*)

This story really speaks to me. Here I will just touch on a couple of aspects of the story I think can speak to each one of us.

One is that Mary, one of Jesus' most devoted followers, at first didn't recognize the risen Jesus. And don't we sometimes fail to recognize Christ's presence with us? We need to learn to trust in His presence, and to recognize it in our lives.

A second is that Jesus calls Mary by name. I believe Jesus calls us each by name. He invites us each to a personal relationship with Him. Dear friends, may each one of you accept this relationship wholeheartedly and make it the center of your life.