WATCHWORD:
14 She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him. 15 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?” She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.” 16 “Mary!” Jesus said. She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!”. John 20:14-16
Meditation:
Does He Know My Name?
My dad worked in the coal mines of Pennsylvania from the time he was 13 until he was 16, when the owner of the mine saw dad’s potential, and put him to work in the office. That eventually led to college, seminary, and ministry in the Congregational Christian Church.
I saw my dad as a learned follower of God, and as I grew up and embraced my own set of ideas about Christianity, I became more critical of dad’s sermons. At that time in my life I was looking for lessons related to Jesus’ ministry, by my definition, and in my prideful blindness I found myself disappointed. I began thinking; where is Jesus in your lessons, dad? Much later, a pastor friend of mine helped me improve my spiritual eyesight, and for a time I wondered if I was worshipping my own idea of worship, did Jesus even know me, or have I sadly misunderstood Him?
In a recent My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers makes this statement: “It is possible to know all about doctrine and still not know Jesus.” That hit me hard! Did I have a personal relationship with Jesus? Or did I just have a personal relationship with doctrine? Had I missed the best part of my faith walk? If our focus is on the trappings of Christianity instead of getting to know Jesus, peronally, then, yes, we are missing something.
When Mary of Magdala went to the tomb after the crucifixion she knew nothing of doctrine, and any Pharisee could have made a fool out of her. She knew one thing; Jesus had cast out her demons and she wanted nothing more than to know Jesus himself. At the tomb, when Jesus called her by name, she knew she had a personal history with Jesus.
Do we look down our long and ugly noses at others who attend a different church, with a different name, who follow a different lectionary, and with symbols different from our own? Have we not learned the basic premise of our walk with Jesus: To love others as He loves us? Perhaps we should take a page from Mary, or Thomas, or Peter, to overcome our doubt, and denial, to see and believe, and to love, and, thus, to deepen and, maybe restore, a personal history with Jesus.
Person Insight:
As I deepened my own personal relationship with Jesus, I begin to understand better the ministry of my dad. Even his sermons, that I had read and wondered about, took on deeper meaning. Thank you Jesus, for that understanding. Amen.
Repentance:
Heavenly Father, I have followed you with reluctance and have often complained. I repent. I gladly yield to you and your invitations in my life. Holy Spirit, help me to learn the ways of God. My desire is to walk in holiness and godliness. Bring me into a closer personal relationship with you, Lord. Redeemed the days I have wasted and lead me on to righteous paths. I want to live in a way that brings honor to Jesus as my Lord and King. In Jesus name, amen.
