He is Risen! -Postcard Friendship Friday #354

“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, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." Saying this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus.

“Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?"

“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 Hebrew, ‘Rabboni!’ (which means Teacher).

“Jesus said to her, ‘Do not hold 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 said to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord;’ and she told them that He had said these things to her.”

~John 20:11-18

I can only imagine the tenderness in His voice, as He said her name.

I can only imagine the joy and awe Mary Magdalene must have felt. When she realized who He was she could hardly keep from throwing her arms around Him.

Dear Friends, He calls all of us by name.  He sees our endless tears--through His wounds he brings healing to our deepest hurts. He is Risen!  He is Risen indeed...such is the true meaning of Easter.  A joyous Easter to you all!

And Happy Postcard Friendship Friday.


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Mary and the Empty Tomb

The story of Mary Magdalene's visit to the empty tomb is captivating.  As a child I loved to think about this lovely woman's encounter with the risen Lord.

It was early in the morning on the first day of the week after the Lord had been crucified and buried.  Mary Magdalene went to visit the tomb where He had been buried.

But when she arrived, she was astonished to discover the massive stone the Romans had placed over the opening, had been rolled away from the entrance.  The official seal had been broken and the guards who'd been assigned to watch the tomb were nowhere to be found.  The tomb was empty.

She must have been in a state of shock as she ran to where the disciples were gathered, to tell them the tomb was empty. Peter and another disciple didn't believe her, so they returned with her to the tomb, to see for themselves.

When they entered, Peter saw the discarded linen burial cloths. He must have been completely stunned to find the tomb was actually empty.  Then the two men left together, leaving Mary outside the tomb weeping.  Her eyes blurred with tears, she noticed someone standing nearby.  It was the Lord, but she didn't recognize him.

"Woman, why are you crying?" He asked.

Mary, believing He was a gardener cried out, "Sir, if you have taken my master away, tell me where he is so that I can go to him."

In a tender voice the Lord said her name, "Mary!"

When He spoke her name, suddenly Mary knew who He was. "Teacher," she cried through her tears.  She ran to Him and in her great joy, she grabbed Him and Hugged him.

"Stop clinging to me," The Lord said with a grin (or so I  imagined), "for I have not yet ascended to my Father. "Now, go and tell my brothers that you have seen me and that I am going to return to my Father."

So Mary ran to find the disciples rejoicing and saying, "I have seen the Lord."  And indeed, He was alive--before the Lord went up into Heaven, He visited many people throughout the land. Then He was caught up into the clouds.

Have a lovely Easter weekend everyone!

Happy Easter - Postcard Friendship Friday #60

Can you believe I have been hosting Postcard Friendship Friday for 60 weeks now?!  It feels I began hosting PFF just yesterday.  I'm so grateful to all of you for your participation.

Since it is Easter Weekend, I decided to share one of my favorite stories from the Bible.  What joy Mary must have felt when she heard her dear Friend call her name.

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

 

 Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

 

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.  John 20:1-18 (NIV)

Happy Easter and have a wonderful Postcard Friendship Friday.

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