Praise be to our victorious Lord and King! On this joyous day of celebration, we share with you a special Easter message from NPH Vice President of Publishing Rev. Chris Cordes and an Easter devotion written by Richard Lauersdorf.
Please take a moment to click the video image above and meditate on the message below.
A Question From The Risen Savior
“She [Mary Magdalene] turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. ‘Woman,’ he said, ‘Why are you crying?’ . . . Jesus said to her, ‘Mary’” (John 20:14-16).
What a question to ask! Imagine how Mary must have felt when first the angels and now this stranger inquired about her tears. The One on whom she had pinned her hopes for salvation was a corpse—or so she thought. Then had come his hurried burial, leaving no time for friends like her to take care of his corpse properly. And now the final indignity—his body was missing or so it seemed, stolen by grave robbers or the unrelenting authorities. No wonder she was crying.
But Mary cries no longer. Behind her that first Easter stood the risen Savior. And he had a fitting question for her. “Why are you crying?” he asked in love. Then he spoke just one word. “Mary,” he said, but, oh, how how he said it! The love with which the risen Savior spoke her name brought an end to her tears and hope to her future.
I have my tears too. Tears shed in the hospitals and cemeteries of life. Helpless sobs that the problems and pains of daily living wrench out of me. Sorrow over sin that makes my heart cry out looking for relief. Like Mary, I need to hear the risen Savior’s question, “Why are you crying?”
I need to hear him call out my name. I need the assurance that his tomb is empty and he is gloriously alive. He is my Savior from all sin. He is my helper in life’s problems. He is the conqueror of death. “He lives to silence all my fears; he lives to wipe away my tears; he lives to calm my troubled heart; he lives all blessings to impart” (Christian Worship: Hymnal 441:5).
Prayer:
Risen Savior, remind me daily that you are the answer for all my tears. Amen.
From Beside Quiet Waters: Daily Devotions for a Year, by Richard Lauersdorf. All rights reserved.
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