Heading Home

In the chilly dampness of the early morning hours, the woman gropes her way through the dark city streets of Jerusalem. Carrying only a small oil lamp to light her way, Mary Magdalene is joined by Joanna, Salome, and Mary, the mother of James. Leaving the city, they wend their way to the dew-moistened garden where Jesus had been buried.

Dressed in their mourning apparel and blurry-eyed from their tears of grief, they enter the garden of the tomb, carrying the spices to anoint Jesus’ body.

The first glints of sunlight peek over the horizon as they approach the tomb. The ground shakes violently as an angel appears and rolls back the large stone covering the tomb’s entrance. The angel says, “Do not be afraid; Jesus is not here. He is risen! Go and tell the others.”

Terrified, Mary Magdalene rushes to get Peter and John and returns with them to the tomb. With their hearts pounding in fear and lungs struggling for air, the men enter the tomb and frantically survey the surroundings until their eyes rest on the stone slab, where only the death cloths lay.

Seeing that the body of Jesus is not there, the disciples rush back to tell the others.

While the other women wait outside the tomb, Mary Magdalene stoops down to look inside. With tears streaming down her cheeks, she turns to leave and encounters a man, who asks, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?”

Assuming him to be the gardener, “‘Sir,’ she asks, ‘if you have taken Him away, tell me where you have put Him, and I will go and get Him.’” (John 20:15 NLT)

“Mary,” He whispers compassionately.

Recognizing a familiar voice, she gasps, “Rabboni!” and falls at His feet in worship.

I have been a Mary Magdalene. . .a follower of the Lord yet not being able to find Him. I wandered around for relentless hours, with stinging tears spilling down my cheeks, weeping in pain, sorrow, and loss. I searched the tomb of the world and found it emptied of dreams, hopes, and purposes.

My restoration came when I realized my Saviour had stood beside me all along, compassionately whispering my name. When I heard His loving voice, I fell at His feet in worship.

Have you ever been a Mary Magdalene? Do you weep over loss of dreams, hopes, or purposes? Pain, sorrow, or circumstance? Do you stand at the tomb, wearing the grave clothes of mourning, wondering where Jesus is?


Just as Mary Magdalene met Christ in an unexpected way, so your Easter experience comes to you in your hour of despair. Jesus will be there beside you to comfort you, compassionately whispering your name and asking, “Why do you weep? Whom do you seek?”

Jesus always brings you hope of resurrection as on that first Easter morn. He comes to lift you up, to wipe away your tears, to release you from your pain, to remove your grave clothes of fear and depression.

Jesus says to you, “Do not wear the grave-clothes stained with the tears of grief. Come into My garden of beauty and I will give you the robe of Easter’s resurrection gladness. Take My Hand and let Me lead you along the path to life everlasting. I gave My life that you might live eternally with Me.”

He says, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26 NKJV)

Do you believe this? Then, weep no more! Fall at His feet and worship Him!

May you know the power of Christ’s Resurrection Life in a deeper way this Easter season.

This is an inspirational video of celebration. I hope you’ll watch it.





Today’s post is part of the Christian Writers Blog Chain on the topic of redemption/resurrection. Check out and enjoy the other contributors’ posts in the left sidebar.

In ancient times, when a Persian king wanted to bestow a special honor on one of his citizens, he granted that person the status of being a companion in his garden, which gave the person the privilege of walking in the garden as a special friend of the king.

In the beginning, God granted man the privilege of being His companion and walking with Him in His indescribably, beautiful paradise garden, which He created for man’s first home. It contained no thorny bushes, no stones of obstruction, no offensive weeds, and no broken stumps. All was perfect for man’s delight...to walk in the garden with his Maker.

When sin entered the garden and broke this companionship, it was necessary to bring man back into fellowship with his Maker. Through the salvation Jesus offered on the cross, man was brought back into perfect union with the Lord.

This is now heaven’s delight. How sweet is that companionship that we can enjoy, walking in an atmosphere of fellowship with our Beloved that can be compared to a garden?

Solomon wrote so intimately about his loving relationship with the Shulamite in the Song of Solomon, which not only represents a husband and wife but also represents the church as the bride and the Lord as our Bridegroom.

The Lord says of us as Solomon said of his precious bride, “You are like a private garden, my treasure, my bride! You are like a spring that no one else can drink from, a fountain of my own.” (SOS 4:12 NLT)

The Shulamite said, “I am my beloved’s (garden) and my beloved is mine!” (SOS 6:3a Amp) She told her beloved, “You are a fountain (springing up) in a garden, a well of living waters, and flowing streams...(You have called me a garden, she said)...blow upon my garden, that its spices may flow out (in abundance for you in whom my soul delights). Let my beloved come into his garden and eat its chicest fruits.” (SOS 4:15-16 Amp)

Songs of the garden have always been in man’s heart. Charles Austin Miles penned a song in 1913 when he wrote the words and music to the beautiful hymn In the Garden. His inspiration for the hymn came after reading the biblical account of Mary Magdalene and the others visiting the tomb of Jesus. He wrote these tender words...

“I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear, falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses

And He walks with me
And He talks with me
And He tells me I am His own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known.”

I wonder...am I that resplendent garden that my Beloved loves to visit? Am I a lovely, fragrant field, full of sweet-scented blossoms, or am I a patch full of stink-weed?

When I visit my Beloved for companionship in His garden of Easter gladness, my soul thrills in His presence. He walks with me. And He talks with me. And He tells me I am His own. “And the joy we share as we tarry there, None other has ever known.”

May you walk in precious companionship with your Beloved Lord in a special way this Easter season.

Standing at a distance, she gazed at the man’s crucified body, dying on a cross, as her heart pounded in agony. Deep sobs heaved her chest. Her knees began to buckle.

What brought her to the cross? A mother’s love. For this was Mary’s son, dying for the world.

John the disciple, who had leaned upon this Divine Man so many times, stood with Mary, in utter dismay.

What brought him to the cross? Genuine love and deep gratitude.

With John and Mary stood Mary Magdalene, trembling. Tears of grief streamed down her cheeks.

What brought her to the cross? Love, for the forgiveness of the sins in her life, for scripture says, “Her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much.” (Luke 7:47a NKJV)

Kneeling on the ground at the foot of this Man’s cross, the soldiers cast lots for His tunic.

What brought them to the cross? Their duty. And now their greed.

Two thieves hung on either side of this cross.

What brought them to the cross? Violation of the law.

Simon the Cyrenian was there.

What brought him to the cross? Bearing the burden of the cross to the hill of sacrifice.

The multitude gathered, murmuring to each other.

What brought them to the cross? Anger. Belittlement. Wonderment. Doubting.

The chief priests stood with the scribes, poised in pride and defiance.

What brought them to the cross? To mock Him, thinking it all utter foolishness.

What did all these have in common? They all needed the very thing for which this Man Jesus was dying on the cross: Salvation and the forgiveness of their sins.

Some accepted it; some rejected it. Paul later wrote to the Corinthians, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Cor. 1:18 NIV)

What brings you to the cross? Love? Gratitude? Grief? Duty? Violation of God’s Law? Bearing a burden? Anger? Belittlement? Wonderment? Doubt? Pride? Defiance? Mocking?

Do you come weeping in pain, sorrow, or loss? Emptied of hopes and dreams? Feeling lost in your circumstances?

Without the cross, there would be no Garden of Easter Gladness…to lift you up, to wipe away your tears, to remove your grave clothes of fear and depression.

Walk that trail from the cross to Easter’s Garden of resurrection. See your Saviour Jesus standing there, waiting for you.

He compassionately whispers your name and says, “Do not wear the grave-clothes stained with the tears of grief. Come into My garden of beauty and I will give you the robe of Easter’s resurrection gladness. Take My Hand and let Me lead you along the path to life everlasting. I will never leave you nor forsake you. I gave My life that you might live eternally with Me.”

Jesus always brings us hope of resurrection as on that first Easter morn. He says, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26 NKJV)

Do you believe this? If so, weep no more. May you experience the salvation and forgiveness of the cross, the power of the resurrection, and embrace the risen life in a new way this Easter season.

What brings you to the cross? May it be...Genuine Love.



~~This is part of FaithfulBloggers.com for their writing project The Death, Burial, and Resurrection.

It's spring! Finally! And the thoughts of many turn to gardening. Have you ever planted a garden? Are you a prolific gardener, producing a bumper crop of everything you sow, or are you a threat to nature, killing even artificial plants? I tend to be somewhat closer to a threat!

If you love to garden, what vegetables will you plant this year? Tomatoes, green beans, lettuce? What about flowers? Cosmos, Sweet Peas, sunflowers? How about herbs? Basil, thyme, rosemary?

If you are a good gardener, when you plant seeds in your garden, you will incorporate all the necessary elements to make them grow…planting for the best sun, providing water, critter repellent, bug spray, and tossing in some fertilizer and plant food, all in order to have strong, healthy plants. After the proper care, you know that, in time, you will have the fruits of your labor, the product of what you have sown.

No matter what size your garden, whether it is a pot on your balcony, a small plot in your backyard, or a farm-size field, the harvest depends on your choice of seeds.

When a farmer wants oranges, he does not plant tomatoes, and when he wants zucchini, he does not plant an apple tree. He has confidence that what he plants will be produced. Seems basic enough; whatever is sown is reaped.

That is Basic Bible Principles 101. This basic truth is applicable to every area of our lives. As the Bible says, “For whatever a man sows, that and that only is what he will reap.” (Gal. 6:7 AMP)

Our everyday lives are our gardens. What we sow into it grows up around us.

Do we sow the things of the world each day as negative, worthless seeds? The weed seeds of pride, fear, doubt, unbelief, defeat, depression, and complaining?

Do we spread fertilizer on their soil in the form of gossiping to others, hatred magnified by prejudice, lust fueled by flirting around at work, unforgiveness inflated into bitterness, or whining so much that others don’t want to be around us?

Paul said, “Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful desires will harvest the consequences of decay and death. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time.” (Gal. 6:8-9 NLT)

So, do you sow positive, flourishing seeds of the Word? Like the seeds of faith, hope, strength, health, forgiveness, humility, and praise? Do you water them with joy, peace, love, encouragement, and blessing?

In what amounts do you sow them? In whatever amount you sow, it will come back to you, as Paul said, “A farmer who plants just a few seeds will get only a small crop, but if he plants much, he will reap much.” (2 Cor. 9:6b TLB)

The Received Greek Text says it this way, “The one sowing on hope of blessing will also reap on blessing.” Consequently, a bumper crop of anything is proportionate to its sowing. Therefore, consciously sow to the end result desired.

That verse also says that he who sows sparingly doesn’t get much in return. If you are stingy with the good seeds, retaining them to yourself, they produce nothing. Seeds have no intrinsic value in and of themselves. Therefore, seeds hoarded in the seed packet never produced another seed packet! They must be sown!

At the end of each day, do you end up with more positive or negative seeds? Or do you have a mixture of blessings and cursings?

Robert Louis Stevenson once said, “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant,” not only in thoughts and words but also in deeds.

What kind of seeds will you plant this day?

~~Blessings, Lynn~~