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It wasn't the nails that held him to the cross. He could have come down, but the world would still be lost. The ransom was so high, only he paid the cost. It wasn't the nails that held him to the cross.

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It wasn't that held him to the cross. ♪ He could come down ♪ ♪ But the world would still be lost ♪ ♪ The ransom was so high ♪

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♪ Only he could pay the cost ♪ ♪ It wasn't the dancers ♪ ♪ To the hills, to the cross ♪ ♪ He was wounded by our transgressions ♪

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♪ Bruised by our nippety ♪ ♪ By his stripes we are healed ♪ ♪ As he hung there at Calvary ♪ ♪ He was lifted up from death ♪

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♪ In order to draw all men ♪ ♪ It was God that held them there ♪ ♪ And He saved us from all our sin ♪ ♪ It was a ♪

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♪ The man ♪ ♪ To the cross ♪ ♪ He could ♪ ♪ Have come down ♪

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♪ And the world will still be lost ♪ ♪ The ransom was so high ♪ ♪ It paid a cost ♪ ♪ It was a ♪

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♪ That held him ♪ ♪ But God so loved the world ♪ ♪ That he gave his only son ♪ ♪ No greater love had there been ♪

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♪ To anyone ♪ ♪ And the son gave his life ♪ ♪ And it was taken by men ♪ ♪ He had the power to lay it down ♪

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♪ He had the power to take it up again ♪ ♪ It wasn't the nail that held him to the cross ♪ ♪ He could have come down ♪ ♪ But the world would still be lost ♪

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♪ The ransom was so high ♪ ♪ Only he could pay the cost ♪ ♪ It wasn't the nails ♪ ♪ That held him to the cross ♪

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♪ It wasn't the nails ♪ ♪ That held him to the cross ♪ ♪ He could have come down ♪ ♪ But the world would still be lost ♪

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♪ The ransom was so high ♪ ♪ Only he could pay the cost ♪ ♪ It wasn't the nails that ♪ ♪ That held him to the cross ♪

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♪ To the ground ♪ (audience applauding) - Amen. Amen.

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The scripture lesson for this morning is found in the gospel according to Mark. Chapter 16, verses one through 11. The Gospel According to Mark.

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Now when the Sabbath was passed, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome brought spices that they might come and anoint him.

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Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they said among themselves, "Who will roll the stone away for us?"

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But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, for it was very large. And into the tomb, they saw a young man

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clothed in a long white robe, sitting on the right side. And they were alarmed. But he said to them, "Don't be alarmed. "You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.

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"He is risen. "He's not here. "See the place where they laid him? "But go tell his disciples and Peter

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"that he has gone before you into Galilee. "There you will see him as he said to you." So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, For they trembled, and they were amazed.

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And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept.

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And when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe. May the Lord add a blessing to the reading and the hearing of his word. Let us all stand. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that he had

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spoken these things to her. Would you repeat after me? Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that he had spoken these things unto her. You may be seated. The subject of the speech, Mary Magdalene and the Easter faith.

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At Easter, let all your clothes be new, for you would surely it hew. At Easter, let all your clothes be new, or else you will Surely it hew. Easter.

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Close. The faith of Easter. Mary Magdalene's faith, our faith. Easter is the most outstanding day on the Christian calendar.

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foundation of our faith as people of God depends on Easter. At Easter, let all your clothes be new, or else you will surely ithew. Our children today, during the children's hour,

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express their belief in Easter and what they liked most about Easter. And most of us as children remember how we identified with some of the same thoughts expressed

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by them-- candy, Easter eggs, confetti. That's Easter. It was also a focus on clothes.

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Most of the young people in my generation, we expected to have something new on Easter. I remember some whose parents were not able to get them a new outfit.

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And so they stayed away that particular Sunday because they didn't have something new to wear. And I also remember how my mother, who was the only one working in the family,

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would have me out with her, be downtown late on Saturday night. trying to find something I could wear that she could afford. And many times I wished that Easter Sunday would not have been because it put such a strain on her.

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But I don't know how many of you are under strain today because of your Easter faith, but I would hope that we would lift our sights beyond the candy, beyond the confetti, beyond the eggs, and if you please, beyond the clothes, and focus on the Christ. Mary Magdalene and the Easter faith, she found the disciples and told them, "I have seen the Lord." That's

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the Easter faith, seeing the Lord and he had spoken unto her. Mary Magdalene has an interesting history. She was from the town of Magdala. That was in Galilee, the region where Jesus grew up. And the scripture says that Jesus cast out of Mary Magdalene seven devils. Now you know the meaning of seven, it means full, it means that she was full of the devil. She

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She didn't have just a little bit of it, but she had a whole lot. She was full of hell, as we would put it in this day. So she was just about as bad as a woman could get in those days. And she was freed.

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She was redeemed. She was delivered by Jesus Christ. And she could never, never forget it. Sometimes we get favors done and we forget about them.

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I remember a lady in our community that during the time of my childhood, she was able to get a job that my mother told her about, and she never stopped thanking my mother, so much so that my mother just got tired of hearing about it. She was so glad, jobs were so hard to get,

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and she was so glad that she just kept on thanking her. So Mary Magdalene was grateful. She was glad that Jesus had delivered her. I would like to think in terms of Easter

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that the clothes that she had were dirty, filthy rags, and somehow Jesus had cleaned up her life and given her new clothes to wear. And that is the meaning of Easter.

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Our sins are like dirty clothes, filthy rags. And Jesus delivers us through his life, through his saving power, he redeems us, and our clothes that were filthy rags

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become as white as snow. We are cleansed by his saving grace. And so Mary Magdalene goes about with Jesus. She became his disciple, one of his disciples.

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We always emphasize the men that followed. While I use the name disciple, she was one of the faithful women who followed Jesus. And Luke says that they ministered unto him

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out of their substance, which means that these women made a vital contribution to the ongoing of the ministry of Jesus. She followed him. And as you read the story of the Master's activities, and wherever women are mentioned In connection with the passion, Mary Magdalene is there.

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She goes with Jesus and ministers. She, in Jesus Christ Superstar, Mary is right there and it is like we think of a romantic relationship.

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Well, she did have a romantic relationship, but it was not agape, it was not eros, sexual love, but it was divine love, agape love. That's the kind of love she had

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and she just followed Jesus wherever he went. We find her at the cross. What a wonderful change had occurred in her life. She couldn't stop talking about it.

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That wonderful change that had occurred because she met Jesus. So we see her in this passion narrative on the way to the tomb.

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While it is yet dark. While it's yet dark. A lot of people I know, particularly women, don't want to be out when it's dark.

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And she is not only going to the tomb while it's dark, she's going alone. She takes a risk, journeying to the tomb alone. And that is the way the Christian journey is.

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It's a lonely journey. It's a journey in the dark. You don't see all that you'd like to see. It's a journey in the dark.

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And we are what we call the lonely crowd journeying on Easter morn. She goes and she finds an empty tomb. And that empty tomb is a symbol

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of what ought to occur in our lives. Jesus Christ emptied himself. He gave all he had. He emptied himself in fulfilling the will of the Father

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as we see this in Philippians, in that Christ Him, He emptied Himself. So often we want to save ourselves, but the Christ of Easter is one who empties Himself.

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And in emptying Himself, He fulfills the will of His Father. So this lonely journey to the empty tomb, and as she looks about, she runs to tell the disciples.

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She thinks that they have stolen the body of our Lord, and she goes to give them the word. And they receive the word and they rush to the tomb, Peter and John rush to the tomb.

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John outruns Peter. Peter arrives later and rushes in and he's always so bold and courageous. And as he rushes in, he too sees that there is the empty tomb.

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But later, when she is left alone crying, she wonders and asks the question, what have they done? Where have they taken my Lord? Where have they taken him?

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Where do we carry him today? Where do we walk with him? And where do we talk with him? What have we done in carrying the message to others?

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Where have they taken my lord? This woman who had sinned so much and is forgiven so much is at the tomb. She does not give up, even though she was there

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when they nailed him to the cross. She saw him flinch, so to speak, as the nails went through his hands. She was there when he had the wound in his side.

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She was there. And now she is there. After he has been buried, she still has the faith. So the Easter faith is not faith that just endures for a moment.

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Some people only want to come to church when they have a good outfit to wear. And then they abandon the church, like some people do at Easter.

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They show up at Easter, but oh how wonderful it would be to have the Easter crowd every Sunday. Wonderful it would be.

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But here, the Easter faith is the faith to persevere in the darkness. It's the faith that perseveres even in the midst of the cross.

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Easter faith is a faith that presses on and we find Mary Magdalene the last, the last at the cross and the first at the tomb. That's quite a testimony, quite a testimony of faithfulness to be there in the midst of the strife and the midst of all of the toils to the contrary to be there, this woman, Mary

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Magdalene, has Easter faith and she comes looking for a dead body to anoint. She still is faithful. Sure, she knows that Jesus in her mind has been crucified, but she still comes to anoint his body. So at Easter, at Easter, let all your clothes be new. Not just the one outfit that we may have on today that's new, but all your clothes be new.

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Or else be sure you will be at Easter, at Easter. And Paul picks up that refrain over in Philippians in his letter to the church there when he says put off the old clothes. Put off the old clothes of envy, of malice, and hatred. Pull them off and put on the new clothes. New clothes of love, new clothes of

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sincerity, new clothes of Christian hope, put on the new clothes and carry forth the gospel of Jesus Christ. At Easter, not just the physical clothes, at Easter Let all your clothes be new. A mother used to say to me, "Barbie, you ought not worry about clothes.

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You don't have any, but clothes are not the most important thing. So you get something in your head, boy. You can always get some clothes later." That's what she would say.

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Even though she sacrificed to see that I had the band uniform to wear in the Lincoln High School band, she suffered so that I could have that band uniform. But at the same time, she said, "Don't worry about the clothes." And when I made a trip some years ago,

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and clothes were at a good price in Hong Kong and Seoul, Korea, and I bought 12 suits. But as I looked and I thought, Jesus had one robe.

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Why did I have 12 suits? And they were gambling for that robe at the foot of the cross. Well, it's far more important to have the kind of clothes that Paul is talking about. The kind of clothes that are lasting, because the clothes we have on now, they get too small,

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But there are some clothes that you don't have to worry about how well they're going to fit you. Because they are made by the tailor of the universe. And he makes the clothes and he said this would fit him, this would fit her, this would fit this little boy, this would fit this little girl. And so when they're tailored by him,

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you know they're gonna fit well, and then they're going to wear well. So at Easter, be sure, not just the physical material, whether it's all wool, or whether it's a lily iron,

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or whatever it may be. At Easter, there's some more clothes that I want to emphasize. Let all your clothes be new.

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New in the spirit of God so that you say, I'm living a brand new life. - Yes Lord. - At Easter, let all your clothes be new.

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Or else be sure you will it you. So, get rid of the rotten garments. Give them away or put them in the garbage can. Such as anger.

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Hatred, cursing, dirty language, don't tell lies, live a brand new life. And it means living and learning to live the life of Jesus Christ.

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So practice a new kind of life, new kind of life not only personally, but a new kind of life for the family. New kind of life. Paul says new kind of life in the husband's relationship

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to the wife and the wife's relationship to the husband. And he talks about the children's relationship to the parents. a new kind of life because Christ is king of your life.

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So the Easter faith is not only a faith that is a personal experience. You swear Mary says, I have seen the Lord. It's also a faith that is shared.

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You can't share it if you don't have it. It's a faith that is shared. So the stone is rolled away, the tomb is empty, and the disciples have come, they've seen the empty tomb,

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but they haven't seen the Lord. Mary stays behind, and as she is behind, they've gone on, she's weeping. And Easter is an experience about joy.

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Joy in the midst of sorrow. She's weeping. And she sees one that she thinks is the gardener. And she asks, they've taken away my Lord.

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Do you know where they've put him? And as she turns and looks, she sees that it's Jesus. And Jesus joins us when we think he's not there, he's always there. And he joins us on this journey.

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Joins us even in the midst of our sorrow. She sees him and she speaks to him and he speaks to her. That was a wonderful experience. And that's an experience that if you had it, you don't ever forget it.

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It's an experience that enriches your life. It's an experience that empowers your life. It's an experience that changes your life forever. That's the Easter experience.

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Easter. He walks with me. He talks with me. He tells me that I am his own.

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and the joy we share as we tarry there, not other has ever known. I'm so glad the clothes that my mother bought have long since been gone.

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But that's a new cloth. New clothes that Jesus provides that will never, never wear. So at Easter, yes, let all your clothes be new,

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or else be sure you will it be. And when you're looking at it, it's about clothes. She looked in the tomb, what did she see? She saw the headdress left in the tomb.

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She saw there the robe left in the tomb. in the tomb and she knew that Jesus was not in the grave. She knew that. She saw evidence that he was out of the grave. And he's out walking the highways, he's in the alleys, he's everywhere we are. He's there.

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And that's good news. That's something we can rejoice and be glad that Jesus Christ is with us and to commit our lives to him and to walk with him. in the lonely experiences of this life. He's with us. He's there. He's everywhere we are

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to help us live the good life. So I say at Easter, let all your clothes be new or else be sure you will it you. We come now for the invitation. It's the invitation to Christian discipleship.

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It's an invitation to accept this Jesus as Lord of your life. Mary said, "I have seen the Lord." Can you say that in your own heart of hearts? I have seen the Lord. If you can really say that in your heart of hearts, that's the blessing of Easter.

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That's the joy of Easter. That's the power of Easter. So that he is with us as we travel through the ambiguities of life, the fears of this life. He's with us to encourage us and to strengthen us. He's with us as we travel through the anxieties,

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the ambiguities, and then the absurdities. You know, so many things happen to us that just don't make sense, but they happen. And he is with us, not only to explain them to us,

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he's there to comfort us in the midst of it. Some things we'll never understand, we just have to say we'll understand it better by and by. So accept this one as the Lord of your life.

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The master who will direct you, the teacher who will inform you, accept him. This is the invitation that we give now on this Easter Sunday morning

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to accept this Lord as King of your life. We invite you to come as we sing the hymn of invitation. (piano music) (piano music)

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♪ I swear the place you see me now ♪ ♪ Is in your eyes today ♪ ♪ I know the way you say ♪ ♪ Forever in the same ♪

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♪ I see you at the mercy ♪ ♪ I hear your voice so clear ♪ ♪ And just the time I need you ♪ ♪ Is always near ♪

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♪ In need of forgiveness ♪ ♪ I see you still to pray ♪ ♪ He walks with me and talks with me ♪ ♪ I love my Savior ♪

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♪ He lives, He lives ♪ ♪ The passion through His love ♪ ♪ To bless me now and always ♪ ♪ He lives, He lives ♪

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♪ My heart ♪ ♪ All the world around me ♪ ♪ I see His loving care ♪ ♪ And though my heart grows weary ♪

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♪ My head will never despair ♪ ♪ I know that He is leading ♪ ♪ Through all the storm you have ♪ ♪ The day of peace, the period, the cross, the blood ♪

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♪ We live, yes we live ♪ ♪ As Jesus lives today ♪ ♪ In trust with thee, in trust with thee ♪ ♪ Our love must never fade ♪

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♪ We live, yes we live ♪ ♪ For a nation to the power ♪ ♪ It has to be of an open heart ♪ ♪ It is ♪

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♪ It is ♪ ♪ Our home ♪ ♪ It has to be of celebration ♪ ♪ In the land of justice and ♪

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♪ The flag of the free ♪ ♪ And the home of the brave ♪ ♪ The land of the free ♪ ♪ And the home of the brave ♪

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♪ The land of the free ♪ ♪ We hail the nation of the free ♪ ♪ And thus shall we, ye folks, remain ♪ ♪ Our love has never faded ♪

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♪ We hail, we hail the nation of the free ♪ ♪ To us we owe our loyalty, dear ♪ ♪ With me ♪ ♪ With me ♪

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♪ I am home ♪ (audience applauding) [ Applause ]