It was kind of like having facebook ... except they didn't have facebook.

One of my favorite parts of the Easter story … well you know, besides the part where Jesus died for our sins … is that He first appeared to Mary.

When Jesus ROSE FROM THE DEAD he could have made himself known to anyone.  He could have stood up on top of that door of the tomb, which was the “rock that was rolled away” and yelled for anyone to hear …. “I’m alive!  What my Father said was true!!!!”.

But He didn’t.

He appeared to Mary.

Mary who, I’m sure in her grief, had gone to the garden to be close to the tomb.

Mary, who was there doing probably exactly what I would have been doing, … FREAKING OUT.

“WHERE DID YOU PUT HIM?!” she cried.

She knew his body wasn’t there and it was just too much for her.  She had to know where He was.  She had to be thinking … surely this cannot be happening.

She didn’t recognize him at first.

And then he said her name.  Gently,  I’m sure.

“Mary”.

And, through tear filled eyes and a choked up voice she said … “Rabboni”.

I truly think that might be one of the tenderest verses in the Bible.

She knew His voice.

He called her by name.

And she was overwhelmed, overjoyed and SHE HAD TO TELL SOMEONE.

Because thats what women do, right?

When we have good news, we want to share it.

And Mary ran straight to the men who, I get tickled just thinking about it, probably thought Mary had lost her mind.

But they did what men do … they ran to see for themselves.

Trust but verify.

And since that day … SINCE. THAT. DAY. the prophesy that was foretold in the Old Testament, the resurrection of Jesus Christ who died for your sins and mine …. has been told over and over and over again.

So, had it been today, Mary probably would have been the first to tweet it.

It wouldn’t have taken long before it was a “trending” story.

And this is what is so cool … it’s still trending.

The story, the tweets, the facebook statuses continue even unto this day.  We must tell the story.  The story that our sins “not in part but in whole … were nailed to the cross and we bear them no more” and “it is well, it is well with our souls”.

Happy Easter!  He has risen.  He has risen indeed.