Dr. Larry Baucom delivers a hope-filled Easter message encouraging us to see Jesus as more than our teacher but the ever-present companion throughout our lives.

Taking inspiration from John 20:1-18, Pastor Larry lays out the teaching in three important points.

Point 1: In the darkest times of my life God is there.

Mary had been waiting all day - that Saturday - grieving the loss of Jesus. The law prohibited her from washing and perfuming the body until the Sabbath was over. John tells us that Mary set off for the tomb early Sunday in the predawn darkness; physical, emotional, and spiritual darkness were her only companions. Mary expected to find the body of Jesus cold, lifeless, lying in the tomb. When she found the body was missing she expected that someone had stolen it. Dr. Baucom reminds us that even in our darkest moments when our expectations are narrow and despairing, Christ is present. We need only to expand our expectations to include his presence.

Point 2: Let’s run toward God in our times of desperation.

When Mary ran to tell the disciples that Jesus’ body was missing, Peter and John ran to the tomb. Being younger, John reached the tomb first. Pastor invites us to make our way to the tomb whether walking, jogging, or sprinting to see what John and Peter both saw (nothing) because the tomb of Jesus is where nothing becomes everything!

Point 3: When God whispers my name, life becomes more.

When Mary returned to the tomb she found two angels seated at both ends of the stone where the body had been laid. They asked her why she was crying and Mary told them what she was certain of, “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” Then she turned and saw Jesus, but her certainty about Jesus’ death kept her from recognizing him. She said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” Dr. Baucom teaches us that although “we are most comfortable when things are certain, we feel most alive when they are not.” Mary didn’t perceive Jesus standing before her and mistook him for the gardener but then Jesus said her name and her expectations shattered. Life can become so much more when we dare to listen to Christ speaking our name! Pastor Larry says, “In our times of desperation the Spirit of Christ is near. As soon as our hearts turn toward God he reaches out to us.”
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