JOHN 20:15-16

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.”

TO PONDER:

All it takes is a word. One word to change the mood. One word which throbs in your head like the subwoofer at the party next door when you are trying to sleep. One single word to blanket your world with darkness. “Dead.”

For Mary Magdalene, the grief of losing Jesus was deep. She’s distraught. Her weeping is unrelenting and unrestrained. The Gospel-writer says Mary goes to the tomb while it is dark, not dawn like the other Gospels. Her grief is so intense, she can’t sleep. It’s dark outside. It’s dark inside. In the midst of that despair, in the darkest moment of life, the Risen One reveals himself. One word changes the mood. One word draws back the curtain of darkness and allows light to flood in. One single word transforms despair into hope, sorrow into joy, a cemetery of memories into a garden of new beginnings. "Mary."

"Mary." Jesus comes to her. Jesus knows her name. Jesus calls her name. That changes everything. Resurrection is personal. 

Today is your day. The resurrected Lord calls your name. There is no sorrow he cannot transform. No sin he has not redeemed. No darkness he cannot lift. No life he will not restore. Today, the risen Jesus comes with a single word. “ _________” (Fill in your name). Because for Jesus, it’s personal. 

The risen Jesus calls your name. How will you respond?

PRAYER:

Risen Lord Jesus, this is the day that you have made.  I will rejoice and be glad in it, because you have come and called me personally by name.  Amen.