Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene

¹¹ Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb ¹² and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

¹³ They asked her, ‘Woman, why are you crying?’

‘They have taken my Lord away,’ she said, ‘and I don’t know where they have put him.’ ¹⁴ At this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realise that it was Jesus.

¹⁵ He asked her, ‘Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?’

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.’

¹⁶ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’

She turned towards him and cried out in Aramaic, ‘Rabboni!’ (which means ‘Teacher’).

¹⁷ Jesus said, ‘Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”’

¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: ‘I have seen the Lord!’ And she told them that he had said these things to her.

John 20: 11–18

Dear Lord, like Mary we are sad and confused. Help us to look in the right place to find you: not in the empty tomb, not in the empty building that we think of as our church. You are everywhere, all about us, and in us. Help us to recognise you, when you come to meet us. When you call us by name, may we, like Mary, recognise you and turn to you. May we, too, like Mary, spread the good news: Jesus lives!

Jesus is alive: yesterday, today, tomorrow and for ever.

When we go for our walk this morning, let us look about us and marvel at your wonderful creation. We see the trees burst into leaf; the wild flowers brighten the road sides and open spaces. We see all these wonderful signs of new life after the dull days of winter. We thank you for the birds with their beautiful birdsong; we thank you for the beautiful butterflies fluttering free.

We pray for all those who at this time are ill, at home or in hospital, for the fearful and frightened, and for the lonely. Help us to help them in any way we can. We pray that you will cherish and comfort them, keeping them in the shadow of your wings.

We pray that you will uphold, comfort and protect all those who work so courageously to care for the sick, the elderly, the frail and the vulnerable. Be with them all.

In these dark times, shine your light into our hearts and minds, that we may know that nothing can separate us from your love.

We summarise all our prayers by saying together the words that you have taught us:

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.

Amen

Robin Kyd