John 20:16 Jesus said to her “Mary”.  Can you imagine listening to the sweet voice of Jesus as He calls to Mary with abounding love? I believe one of the most precious of moments in Mary’s life was just unveiled to her.  Amidst her tears she found boundless joy in the risen Jesus.

Just moments ago Mary, with tear strewn cheeks, was desperately seeking the body of her Jesus.  Now standing before her was Jesus, very much alive, calling her name.  I wonder what Jesus looked like to her in that moment.  I’ll bet He was the picture of love. Somehow His tenderness, His radiance, His power, His glory were all on full display for Mary to see.  There was no denying it – Mary had seen, Mary had heard and Mary rejoiced in her Jesus.  Everything else didn’t matter, nothing and no one else existed in that moment – not even the two angels that sat in the tomb.  Nothing and no one, just Jesus and Mary.

Allow me to re-wind and take us back to the Mary desperately seeking the body of Jesus.  Jesus was her teacher who she followed every day, she ate meals with Him, she traveled with Him, she listened to Him.  Jesus was her everything.  Her everything was abruptly stolen out from under her with the crucifixion of her Lord.

I wonder if it would be appropriate to cast a parallel to our lives and relationships on earth?  Have you ever had a precious relationship stripped from you?  Did it leave you desperate, gasping for air?  Did the tears seem like they would never cease?  Was the heartache and emptiness beyond what you thought you could bear?  Were you inconsolable?  Perhaps it didn’t matter who talked to you, who reached out to you, you found yourself in a pit of isolation where no one could reach you.

But I wonder did you, like Mary, turn around to hear the voice of your Jesus calling your name?  Did you turn to see Him?  Did you turn to hear Him?  Did you turn to follow Him?  What happened?  Or did you refuse to turn?  Did you stay in your sorrow?  Did you stay in your pit?

Jesus calls us by name, each and every one of His sheep.  Will we turn with excitement to drop that which we have held close and embrace a new era with Jesus, a new life?  A life where we hold Jesus front and centre, with wide eyes of bewilderment and an unquenchable thirst for our Savior above all else.

Mary wanted to cling to the Jesus she knew, perhaps she wanted those past days to be reborn again and Jesus quickly tells Mary “Do not cling to me”.  I believe Jesus is saying do not cling to the past.  What you have before you will be better than the best of what you had before.

Did you have a relationship with someone special in the past and now that relationship is gone and a new one is birthed.  Can we embrace the new relationship, trusting that before all else, Jesus is our everything?  Jesus is the one we turn to for true love and fulfillment  Jesus is our rock, our solid foundation.  We are not clinging to the past of what we knew, instead we are drenched in absolute resolve over our Jesus who fills up the void, who loves us unconditionally and who asks us to journey with Him in every moment of every day in a close, spiritual relationship which cannot compare with the physical presence of a million people.  Who are you clinging to?

I am not saying that Jesus does not want us to have physical relationships on earth.  Quite the contrary, I believe God loves to bless us with relationships and He uses those relationships in our lives to prune us, support us and feel his love and presence in a tangible way.  But those relationships were never meant to replace Jesus.  They are supplemental.  Jesus doesn’t want us to desperately hang on to those on this earth.  But He does want us to hang on His every word, waiting with bated breath for the very next word He will speak to us.

In the deepest of Mary’s sorrow over her loss, all is replaced and covered with the love and spiritual gift of Jesus’ presence in a new way.

I know I have taken you down an unconventional path.  Jesus calls to Mary “who are you looking for?”.  May I ask you and I “who are you looking for”? Are you looking for Jesus or are you looking for someone or something from this world to fill you up?

True joy can only be found in Jesus.  John 15:11 “…that your joy may be complete in me”.  We need to look no further than Jesus and all that is lost will be found.

Jesus, beyond a shadow of a doubt, you are our everything.  Might you give us the sight to see the world anew, wisdom to discern the truth of your word and courage to live out our journey as it was written by you and for you.  Praise you Jesus. Amen