Man in the Tomb

Think about how you read and view scripture.  What do you think of when you read this account of the man in the tomb who spoke to Mary?  Most of us automatically accept that he is an angel because we have been told he was an angel.  Let's go back to the tomb that morning.  Put yourself in Mary's place.  Would you assume the man WAS an angel?  Or would you have thought he was a man who had invaded the place where you last saw Jesus' body?  What else would you have thought?  Seen?  Felt?  Pray into being in the tomb that morning and if you would like you can post comments on your thoughts. 

What Mary was told...

What would you have thought? 

Jesus' Body

Jesus’ body…notice how Mary was so concerned for Jesus’ body in Mark 16?  Isn’t that just like a woman?  Women need to touch and feed and nurture.  Mary and the other women had been concerned about feeding Jesus and the disciples and making sure they had water for some time.  Then all of a sudden Jesus’ body, his precious body, was being beaten and she couldn’t help it.  She could not stop what was happening.  Now, all she could do was care for what was remained…his body.  Put yourself in Mary’s shoes.  Stand outside the tomb where Jesus’ body was laid.  What do you feel? 

Can we understand what it’s like to be so separated from Jesus?  At that moment, Mary was separated from her hope, her savior.  Honestly, I cannot remember NOT being without Jesus.  As far back as I can remember Jesus has been with me. What about you?  Do you remember a time when Jesus was far away?  How did you feel?  Look at your neighbors, co-workers, family.  Are there people there who don’t realize what it’s like to be connected to Jesus?  How can you tell them about Jesus’ love?  How can you say to them, “come and follow” and you will find peace?

Mary decides to Follow Jesus

After Mary saw Jesus' face she decided she MUST follow.  What's interesting here is that when I think of modern day evangelism we made it so difficult.  We have formulas and programs and plans.  We've finally figured out that relationship is important.  When you look at what Jesus did we should get a major clue.  What did Jesus say to Peter in Matthew 4:19?  or to Matthew in Matthew 9:9?  Why do we make it so hard to point others to Jesus? 

Mary Meets Jesus

Have you thought about those who followed Jesus who were not always named in the stories?  For example, in Mark 16 we see Mary of Magdala in a new way.  Luke 8:1-3 gives more insight into Mary's Story.  I would encourage you to read Luke 8:1-3 and consider Mary's first encounter with Jesus. 

Mary's Story

We're going on a journey and are going to explore Mark 16 on our journey.  Hopefully, we will dig deeper into the text, pray into the text, and discover new parts of the text.  We should be willing to allow God to challenge us and engage us in new ways when we explore scripture.  We should also ask questions about scripture and about ourselves. 

This first part of the sermon entitled, Mary's story begs questions about who you are so let's begin the journey.  Feel free to join me in this journey.

Deb

Journey Outside the Walls

I am a student at Bethel Seminary and am currently studying "Preaching".  The sermon I posted is a "draft" sermon that was an assignment for that class.  I have been praying for some time about how to best journey outside the walls of what we call the traditional church.  I invite you to view the story and to comment, offer suggestions and join me in this journey "outside the walls". 

God's Peace be with you,
Deborah