SERMON NOTES from April 5, 2026 Easter Sunday
Bryan Holmes, ‘The God Who Calls Your Name’
John 20:1-15
The first Easter began in the dark with tears of woe.
John 20:1-8, ‘The Empty Tomb’, is the powerful resurrection story that is deeply personal. It tells of a woman, Mary Magdalene: who suffered deeply (Luke 8:2) and was cured of evil spirits by Jesus (Luke 8:3), becomes His devoted disciple and follower out of gratitude and love, supports the ministry of Jesus, is blessed to be the first witness of the resurrection, (John 20:1-8), is not a fallen woman but is ‘the apostle of the apostles’ and she matters because she embodies the ‘journey of faith’ and a witness to the world.
There are three movements to Mary Magdalene’s story…
grief, search and name. GRIEF. Mary goes to the tomb in ‘the darkness of grief’. She is grieved to know that hope (Jesus) hides behind the stone that seals His tomb. We grieve, like Mary did, when we lose a love one or close friend. God is there for us in times of grief.
SEARCH. Mary saw that the stone was rolled away. She is concerned and tries to make sense of what she sees… an empty tomb (John 20:10). “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put Him!” John 20:12 tells us that Mary sees two angels in the tomb who ask her why she is crying. She is searching for Jesus but doesn’t realize Jesus in searching for her.
NAME. Jesus talks to her. (John 20:15,16). Mary, at first, does not recognize Him. She thinks He is the gardener. Jesus talks to her and finally she recognizes Him (John 20:16). He tells her to go to His brothers and tell them He lives. This makes Mary ‘the first preacher’s preacher’.
We need to remember Jesus meets us in our GRIEF…in the dark. Jesus SEARCHES for us when we are lost. Jesus calls us all by NAME. He knows our story, hopes and fears. There is a God who calls you by your name also!
Mary came in the darkness and left in the light with tears of joy. Easter is a personal encounter with Jesus… a time of joy!
Christ is Risen and He is calling your name!