Well, December 6th of 1941 had been called the last Saturday in a country that was about to be suddenly and irrevocably changed. Early Sunday morning in Hawaii, a day that would live in infamy. Things, dramatically and unexpectedly, changed. On the mainland, many who were hours ahead had gone to church as normal that Sunday. On the East Coast, it was afternoon before they began to hear the news of what had happened on the U.S. island in the Pacific. Nobody seemed to see it coming. But once they realized what had happened, they realized that they had awoken to a world that was gonna be a different place now. Not just for their country, there'd be implications for the world. This past week, as you know, was the 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor. A few of you in this room were alive, and maybe even can remember as you were young the news and what followed. This past year, We had a Pearl Harbor survivor among us, Debbie Nudo's father, who has since passed on to be with the Lord this year. But it was a very special thing to be able to interact with him. He witnessed all of that there in Hawaii firsthand as it happened. And it greatly impacted his life. I want us to go back 1900 years before that. if you would turn in John 19. There was another Sunday morning that in a greater way would change the world suddenly and irrevocably and dramatically and unexpectedly. Even more so for the better. It would not just impact the nation where it was happening, it would have reverberations around the world. Once people began to see what had happened, they began to see that this world would now be a different place. Someone who was there and who witnessed these things firsthand is writing about them in the Gospel of John. John's life was greatly impacted after witnessing the aftermath first place. I wonder what the day before John 20 was like. Many people would have gone to worship on their day of worship Saturday, the Sabbath in the synagogue. It may be in some synagogue that morning there was discipline brought forward for Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus who had publicly supported Jesus because earlier in John's gospel it said if anyone had done that they would excommunicate them from the synagogue. How did the Jewish chief priests sleep that night, I wonder? The ones, especially the ones who were in the temple when that veil, that massive veil about this thick was torn from top to bottom at the moment Jesus died. was dying. I wonder how they were sleeping that night. We know some of the leaders hadn't slept well Friday night because the other gospel writer tells us they came the next day to Pilate to request a squad of Roman soldiers to guard the tomb from a surprise attack. We know after the Sabbath, a man named Cleopas was sad as he got ready to make the trek back to Emmaus. And he couldn't stop thinking about and talking about with his friend this mighty prophet, this one who they had hoped might be the one who would redeem Israel. What was going on with the 11 disciples that Sunday morning? Was James maybe thinking about his father's fishing business, going back there? Was Matthew wondering about his job with the Roman IRS, if they might have a place for him if he came back? When Peter heard the rooster crow early Sunday morning, did he wake up in broken-hearted memory of denying Jesus? We know Thomas was doubting his faith. We know the other disciples were fearing behind locked doors. But we know there was a faithful woman coming early that morning to honor the Lord. And early that Sunday morning, everything was about to change in a day that would not only live in history, a day that would change history and even the way we do our calendars. Let's look at John 20, verse 1. Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early while it was still dark and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, they have taken our Lord out of the tomb and we do not know where they have laid him. So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first, and stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded up in a place by itself. And the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not understand the scripture that he must rise from the dead. Well, he is risen. He is risen. I love that we are singing Christmas songs. while we are studying through the gospel, and we're coming to the Easter resurrection story today. Because Christmas and Easter, we need to consider them together. And if we think about some of the details, even about how his life started in John's narrative here, there's some interesting things as you think about how his life started, wrapped in cloths as The gospel writers highlight laid in a trough for animals now at the end of his life He's wrapped again in cloths and he's laid in a tomb John 19 verse 39 says myrrh was brought at his death you'll remember that myrrh was Brought at his birth. It was one of the three gifts of the Magi the Christmas carol we three kings says myrrh is Mine a bitter perfume breeze a life of gathering gloom sorrowing sighing bleeding dying sealed in a stone-cold tomb But glorious now behold him arise King and God and sacrifice At both his birth and death there was interestingly enough a Joseph and a Mary involved Joseph of Arimathea in John 19 verse 38 and Mary of Magdala who they called the Magdalene and In chapter 20 in the next section of chapter 20 verse 12, we're going to see angels were involved again announcing his resurrection Just as angels were involved announcing his birth Christmas and Easter There's some things about them That should go together that we could consider together, but I want to look now as we come into this section here I want to look at the setting And I want to look at the meaning of all this. I want to look at the setting, kind of the original setting, some of the immediate context, and also the context of his life and the Gospels and the whole Bible, and also the meaning. What was the meaning of this for them and then for us? And for the setting, I want to look at John 19, verse 41. Now in the place where he was crucified, there was a garden. And in the garden, a new tomb, in which no one had yet been laid." It's only John's gospel that mentions it was a garden where Jesus died and that his tomb was in a garden. John also is the only gospel writer that mentions Gethsemane was a garden. And that may not be incidental. John and each of the Gospel writers had their own purpose in the details they brought out. John's Gospel begins different than all the other Gospels. John's Gospel begins with these words, in the beginning. Same words as the beginning of the Bible. And there's a lot of things that John brings out that seem to be connecting with some themes from the beginning and completing the whole picture of what Jesus was all about, even as he talks about in his first chapter, Behold the Lamb of God. That's a theme that begins in the book of Genesis. John 1 goes on to explain Jesus was with God, and Jesus was God, and Jesus created everything. This is how John begins his gospel, especially showing that Jesus is God. He is the creator. And now we come to the end of His life and we have the One who created trees and the One who created stone, dying on a tree and being laid in a tomb of stone. the one who created the sun to shine. While he is on the cross now, that sun does not shine on him for three hours. As the wrath of God is poured out on him and the earth quakes, as the song says, as its maker bows his head. John 19.42 says this was the day of preparation. That's the day before the Sabbath. Mark's Gospel tells us that the Sabbath is also rooted in the beginning of the Bible. Genesis 2 says the Lord finished His work on the sixth day of the week, Friday, and then He rested on the Sabbath. John 19.30 says on another Friday that He said of His work of redemption on the cross, it is finished. His work in making the world was finished in that literal week of creation. Now his work in saving sinners from the world is finished just as literally and just as completely at the end of Passion Week. And then he rests again on the Sabbath, this time in the tomb. Sin had ruined man in the garden of Genesis, but in the garden of John 19, we see the remedy for ruined sinners. In Genesis 3, a man hid from God in his shame and his nakedness. In John chapter 19, as S. Lewis Johnson points out, the sinless man, Christ, hung for all to see him exposed in his shame. And in exchange for what he's doing there, He gives sinners who are in him his garments to wear, his robes of righteousness, as even Isaiah prophesied and as the New Testament writers write. The garden theme, this garden at Calvary is the answer to sin and its effects from the Garden of Eden. One of the effects of The sin in Genesis 3 was a curse on creation, even pain and thorns. And now in John 19, Jesus feels the pain of a cursed thorn on His head as part of His work. of redemption paul makes a connection this way he says in the fullness of time god sent forth his son born of a woman to redeem us from the curse by becoming a curse for us that's what he says in galatians 3 13 in galatians 4 7 and this the the Christmas themes connect some of these things joy to the world says no more let sin and Sorrows rain nor thorns infest the ground he comes Christ comes to make his blessings known as far as the curse is found Now John 20 verse 9, certainly John did not understand all of that this day, but as he wrote of a garden by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, there may even be a completion of this picture from creation to its final restoration in a heavenly garden. John certainly writes more about this a little bit later when he writes about the risen Lord who conquered the grave and his enemies. He says this at the end of John's writings, he showed me a pure river. of water of life, the tree of life. And the leaves of that tree were for the healing of the nations and there shall be no more curse. John was made to see and understand how paradise lost becomes paradise gained as a result of the resurrection. All that was lost in that first garden, is restored for all who are in Christ in an even better state in an eternal garden city. And that all happens through the garden at Calvary. And heaven and nature will sing, as the prophets say. Peter certainly did not understand these things in the beginning of John 20. But the Holy Spirit opened his eyes later in Acts 3 to preach about the resurrection and then to go from there to talk about the restoration of all things. They began to understand through the Holy Spirit what was lost in Genesis 3 through man's sin with a tree. Peter would later write in one of his epistles, that can all be restored by the man who bore our sins in his body on the tree, 1 Peter 2 verse 24. In the big picture of the Bible, in Eden's garden, a man disobeyed, bringing death to all in the family tree of Adam. But in Calvary's garden, a man who had obeyed now is going to bring life. to all who are in his family. Here's how Paul explains it later in Romans 5. Sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin. But Paul says this one man, Adam, was a type of him who was to come. Death reigned through that one man, but Paul says how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through this one man, Jesus Christ? For as by the one man's disobedience, the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience, the many will be made righteous. These are some of the glorious themes and truths that through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the New Testament epistles would unpack for us. There's so much in relation to the resurrection, all these things that is unpacked later in the New Testament. Paul wrote this to the Corinthians. For as by a man came death, By a man is also come the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. That's all who are in Christ. The first man, Adam, became a living being. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. The first man was from the earth. The second man was from heaven. And he goes on with this, and he also said to the Corinthians, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation. We are a new creation when we are in Christ. That's part of what happens as we trust in his life and death and resurrection. We become a new creation as we are awaiting the new creation and restoration of all things. In that first creation, way back in Genesis was the first promise of Christmas. and the resurrection. Genesis 3.15 promised there'd be war between Satan and the seed of a woman. The serpent would one day bruise or wound the heel of this Christ who would come. But in the process, the Christ would bruise or would wound or would crush the head of the serpent. And that's what is happening now. in John chapter 20. This is also what one of the Christmas carols says. Hark the herald angels sing, says, rise the woman's conquering seed, bruise in us the serpent's head. And it says this, Adam's likeness, Lord efface and stamp thine image in its place. Second Adam from above, reinstate us in thy love. There's some good theology there. as we think about Christmas and Easter. But here before the herald angels sing of the glory of the risen king, a woman comes in John 20, verse one, to the garden to honor her king. And it is fitting, as in the Garden of Eden, a woman was involved in sin that brought death for humanity. Now, in the Garden of Calvary, there's going to be a woman involved who's going to be honored by the Lord to bring the message of life. for redeemed humanity. Mary Magdalene, verse 1, on the first day of the week came to the tomb early while it was still dark and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple. In our next message, we're going to look more at Mary Magdalene, so I just want to highlight. She's going to pick up in verses 11 through 18. But I want to notice for today that it was the first day of the week, as it says here. Christ rose on the first day of the week. That is why we worship Christ every first day of the week on Sunday. Every Sunday celebrates Easter. It's Resurrection Sunday on every Sunday in December. And and Christians since New Testament times have actually called Sunday the Lord's Day because this is the day the Lord rose from the tomb But Mary and Peter and the other disciple John don't know that yet In verse 2 she tells them they've taken the Lord out of the tomb and we do not know where they've laid him Mary says we if you compare the other gospel writers there were other other women maybe she got there first, but she's relaying this on behalf of the women who she represents, often as Peter, often represents the male disciples. Verse 3, Peter went out with the other disciple and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded up in a place by itself. Maybe the best commentary on what might have been going on in Peter's mind is by Don Francisco. Some of you will remember this song. The gates and doors were barred, and all the windows fastened down. I spent the night in sleeplessness. And I rose at every sound, half in hopeless sorrow and half in fear the day would find the soldiers crashing through to drag us all away. But just before the sunrise, I heard something at the wall. The gate began to rattle and a voice began to call. I hurried to the window and I looked down to the street, expecting swords and torches and the sounds of soldiers' feet. There was no one there but Mary. So I went down to let her in. John stood there beside me as she told us where she'd been. She said, they've taken him in the night and none of us knows where. The stone's been rolled away and now his body isn't there. So we both ran towards the garden. John ran on ahead and we found the stone in the empty tomb just the way that Mary had said. But the winding sheet they wrapped him in was just an empty shell. Kind of an interesting way to describe what was in the tomb. An empty shell of what they had wrapped Jesus in. In my mind, I think of an empty cocoon. And this cocoon is empty and there's no caterpillar in there. John gets to the tomb first. John glances in. But John waits for Peter. I think John is not, given this detail about him getting there first, is not doing this to brag that he was faster. He was probably younger. He lived towards the end of the first century, tradition says. But John isn't about bragging in his gospel. He doesn't even name himself. Scholars have to surmise that this might be John. John actually is honoring Peter here by not entering the tomb first, I think, without Peter, who John is now deferring to. I suspect what's going on here is that maybe the upper room teaching is starting to sink in on John. This was not John's nature, by the way. Just a few days earlier, John and his brother Zebedee, with help of their mother, are trying to reserve for them the first and second places in the kingdom as they're going to Jerusalem. And then on Thursday, they were still arguing, just four days earlier, about which of the disciples were going to be first and which were going to be greatest. And John, Peter, and James, and the inner circle certainly, I'm sure were part of that debate. Maybe John, though, I think John, we see in evidence here that the events of this weekend, the events of the upper room, watching Jesus die, that that has had an impact on John. Maybe John also, who was the only disciple there when Peter denied Jesus and knew how horrible Peter felt that weekend. It may be John now, as he is beginning to see and believe, he wants Peter to believe and see first. It may be seeing Jesus die has humbled John and helped him to let another be first. I don't know that for sure, but that's what I think as I read this. Verse 8, Peter and John were together. You get the sense in verse 2 that they must have been staying together. that weekend. Here's what A.W. Pink writes on that. John alone of all the apostles had witnessed Peter's sad fall and observed his bitter weeping afterwards. Can we not understand that from Friday night to Sunday morning John might be lovingly employed in binding up the broken heart of his brother and telling him of our Lord's last words that John heard in John 19? that maybe this is what's going on when Mary Magdalene suddenly ran in. He says, whatever exactly was going on, it's beautiful to see these two disciples together. J.C. Ryle says, The love and tender nature of John's character is coming out here most blessedly in his affection for Peter, even after Peter's denial of Christ just two days earlier. John stays with him. When Peter fell, there was a brother born for adversity who did not despise him. They're there together. Verse 9 informs us they didn't understand Scripture's prophecy of resurrection. And so initially, all an empty tomb could mean was that someone might have stolen the body. Think about this. Seeing an empty tomb that morning, would only make them wonder where those invading body snatchers might have gone. I mean, to see a tomb that had been emptied with nothing in it at all was the trademark of a tomb raider. And there was evidence that this took place often in the first century. In fact, that's what Mary initially thought as well. It was so, becoming such a problem, Romans, the emperor of Rome within a decade, I think, of this, had to make grave robbing a capital offense because of the problem with many graves being emptied of their bodies, their riches that they were buried with being stolen. And so as we think about the empty tomb, we need to realize to John and Peter, the empty tomb wasn't the most powerful thing. In fact, John, what he sees is a tomb with no body, but John believes precisely because the tomb is not quite empty. Look at the text. Verse five, and stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there. And the end of verse six, again, emphasizes this same thing of Peter. He saw the linen cloths lying there. And the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded up in a place by itself. So as we look at this a little bit more closely, what actually was compelling to them as they looked at it more closely, and as John did in verse 8, and what caused him to believe as he goes in, is the fact that the tomb was not quite or completely empty. An empty tomb by itself would not prove Christ is risen. But seeing it in this state and the state that these linen cloths were lying there and the idea of the verb is they were lying there all in order. They were all lying there exactly how they had been in the face cloth in a separate place. That was what proved it for John. If grave robbers had come they would have grabbed that wrapped up body and ran out of there. They certainly would not have left the expensive spices mentioned at the end of John 19, which by the way were the amount fit for a king. But even more importantly than that, the materials that it mentions them bearing in these strips, in these cloths, is they would put these spices on them and what it mentions there, it would make this gummy glue or this resin and you would put all these pieces together and glue them together and wrapping them like bandages in layers and all of these different things. It would be impossible to undo that without shredding the cloth, without making a big mess of the spices. But what struck them as they look at this tomb is they see everything is in perfect order, and the implication is only the Lord could actually rise and pass right through his grave clothes just like that. No grave robber could have done that, and certainly no grave robber, even if they could have had the time to put all those things together, could make it look like what they saw. There's a contrast, I think, in John 11, 44 when Lazarus is risen. In John 11, verse 44, it says, When they rolled the stone away, Lazarus came forth. And it says, From hand to feet he was bound with linen strips, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. And others had to come unbind him. But the Lord in his glorified resurrection body comes forth, and he leaves the linen strips laying where he had been lying. No one needed to unbind him or let him go. The grave could not hold him and the grave clothes could not hold him is the implication. Luke's gospel says this, Luke 24, 12, when Peter saw those linen cloths lying by themselves, he marveled at what had happened. Jesus had apparently passed through the cloths and passed through the tomb walls. You realize when the gospel writers mention the angels rolling the stone away, none of them say they rolled away the stone and Jesus walked out. They didn't roll away the stone because God the Son needed to get out. They rolled away the stone to show that God the Son was not there. And later in this chapter, they're gonna be in a closed room and all of a sudden Jesus comes right into the room. How did he do that? This is the glorified son of God. It's a resurrection body, but it's not limited to what his body had before. Later in Luke 24, it's going to mention they're talking with him, and he vanishes from their sight, and then all of a sudden they're in a room again, and all of a sudden he appears among them, and he eats among them, because they're thinking he's a ghost. He says, give me something to eat, and he eats. He says, a spirit doesn't have flesh and bone as I do, and so this is a literal risen body, but it's a glorified body. There's some mystery there, but this is what struck them as they see this. That's some of the setting. Let's close with the meaning. What did this mean to them? What did this mean to us? Verse 9 says, Based on the end of verse 8, I think John's meaning is they believed Jesus rose because of seeing, but not because of Scripture. John saw and believed, but he still hadn't seen in Scripture that he must suffer and die and rise from the dead. That's at this point in the story. We can read the rest of the story in Luke 24, and also later in John. But I love how in Acts 2, with the Holy Spirit, it becomes real clear Peter understood the Scripture. And he preached this, but God raised Jesus from the dead because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. And then he quotes from scripture, multiple scriptures, how he now understood that scripture taught that Christ must rise from the dead. And he quoted one of them that says, You will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. He says, God has raised Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of this fact. Let all Israel be assured of this. God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. What did that mean for them, for those that Peter is preaching to? Peter said the appropriate response is, Repent, be baptized. Have you repented? Have you been baptized since you repented? Here's what Paul says in Colossians baptism pictures our old life has been quote buried with him you also were raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God who raised him from the dead and you who were dead God made alive together with him and Paul goes on in Colossians to say you have put off the old self with its practices, and you have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. That's like the carol says, stamp thine image in its place. We want more and more of his image and his likeness to be on our life. Colossians 3 uses that word for putting off. It's like putting off clothing, putting off clothing of our old dead self. Our old self that is dead in sins. We're not to be bound by those anymore. We're to walk in a newness of life. And that's what baptism pictures. That's what salvation pictures. John saw and believed. Certainly he understood it more later, but he saw and he believed what he saw. Do you? Do you see? Do you believe? And do you see how his life His rising is to give us life and to give us hope. See what a morning, gloriously bright, with the dawning of hope in Jerusalem. Folded the grave clothes, tomb filled with light. These things announce that Christ is risen. What hope this must have meant for Peter. And what hope this should mean for us. This should give us hope. No matter what we are going through, this is what gave them great hope. As we see these truths, as we believe these truths, as we think about Christmas and Easter this season, as we meditate on these things, there should be great hope for us. This is what Peter would later write, according to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. So he, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, we are caused to be born again to a living hope. And then Peter went on, for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead, this is one of the reasons why he did it, so that your faith and hope would be in God. Peter said one of the reasons why this happened back in John 20 is so that your faith and your hope would be stronger in God. His resurrection causes new birth to a living hope in faith. Again, one of the Christmas carols says, He was born to raise the sons of earth and He was born to give them, what? Second birth. You know, if you're only born once, you die twice. But if you are born twice, you only die once. Let me say that again. If you're only born once, physically, you die twice. But if you are born twice, Spiritually, you only die once. The second death in hell, as John calls it, will be escape for those who have been born again in Christ. And that same carol that we're gonna close with adds this. He was born so that man no more may die. When Peter saw the light of Christ's resurrection life, when he saw some of the the meaning for his soul, this brought him great hope. Remember where Peter was in his spirit that morning. Now think about that hope. Think about what this meant for Peter after he had denied the Lord. To hear these words, to come to see this, even if he didn't fully grasp it at the time, and then to see the Lord later, and then to hear the Lord later in John's gospel restore him. And Jesus is even going to say to the women, He's going to say, go and tell Peter. Go and tell Peter, He says. The Lord loves Peter. What this must have meant for Peter as he realized what this meant for him. This was an incredible experience for Peter. But what Peter writes about in his second epistle of his experiences, he talks about something that's even better than the greatest experience, even better than seeing the glory of Christ in his transfiguration on the mountain. Peter talks about the sufficiency of Scripture that he now understood. Peter said this of God's Word. We have his Word more fully confirmed And he says, to this, Peter says, you would do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place until the day dawns, until the morning star rises in your hearts. Peter says, this is, what is even more compelling and powerful than that? Peter may be remembering that Easter morning sunrise when the day was literally dawning, when it was still dark so he would have needed a lamp to shine so he could go into that tomb and look intently to see If the word of Mary Magdalene was true, Peter says, though we now have the spirit and we have the sufficient scriptures, we have it even more fully confirmed. Other versions say more sure, more certain. He is risen. He is risen indeed. We don't need the blessing of seeing empty grave clothes and believing. In fact, Jesus is gonna say later in John 20, it is more blessed to believe without having to see those things. We are even more blessed, you realize, than John and Peter and Thomas and the others if we believe and we didn't see those things physically. Peter says, this is where it's at, the Scripture, the Word of God. He compares it to a lamp that shines to our feet in a dark place. And he says, as we do that, as we look intently at God's Word, that hope, that life will rise again in our hearts. Peter, I think, thinking about how life and hope was brought to his heart, he says, we can have that again as we look at God's Word. As we look at Christmas and Easter, there should be hope rising up in our hearts. we sing of a calm assurance that our child can face uncertain days because he lives. And because he lives, you can face tomorrow. Because he lives, all fear can be gone. Because you know, oh, oh, he holds the future. Life has hope and meaning and is worth the living because He, what? Lives. He is risen. He is risen. Let me close with Michael Card's book, Violent Grace, for what this all means for us. The things that we have seen these last several Lord's Days through John 18 and 19, Chapter titles of this little devotional book, Violent Grace, I'm just gonna read you, I just read the chapter titles and I couldn't say it any better. I wanna read you his words. Jesus suffered temptation in the garden of John 18. He suffered temptation so that I can experience victory from temptation. He was betrayed. so that I might know His faithfulness, that He'll never betray us. He was bound so that I might be rescued from bondage. He stood trial alone so that I might have an advocate. An advocate is the one who stands with you in trial before the throne of God above. He was wounded so I could be healed. That's all from John 18. In John chapter 19, he endured mockery so that I could know dignity and joy. He was crowned with thorns so that I might crown him with praise. He was nailed to the cross so that I might escape judgment. He was stretched out between sinners so that I might know the reach of His love. He was forsaken by the Father so that I can know I will never, if I'm in Christ, be forsaken by the Father. All these things are true of those who are in Christ. He chose the shame of weakness. so that I can know the hope of glory. He suffered thirst in death so that I can drink living water. And as John will write later, so that we will never thirst again. He said it is finished so that I can begin my walk of faith. His heart was pierced so ours might be made whole. And He rose again so that we might experience His life forever. John 20 verse 10 says, Peter and John went back to their homes. After seeing evidence of the resurrection, may we go back to our homes with hope and with an even greater assurance in our risen Lord and like Mary, who we'll hear more about next time, let's go to share the news with others. Let's pray. Our gracious God, we I just marvel as I think about your book from beginning to end, from Genesis to the end of Revelation, and how these truths come together at the cross and in the resurrection. I pray, Lord, that you would help us to think more of these truths, that there would be a specific truth from your word that would be remembered, and even from wonderful words of hymns that sing of these things, that we would meditate more on these things, and that Christmas and Easter would have an even greater meaning, and that your word would have an even greater power to us as we spend time in it this week, and that we would tell others, and that we would have hope no matter what the future holds. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.