Riverside Church, Birmingham, Uk

Title: Why Are You Crying? By: Tim Chilvers Bible Reading: Book of John (Chapter 20, verses 1-18) Recorded: Sunday 31/05/2020 (Online Service) Longing For Hope: Why Are You Crying? There have been a lot of tears over these last few months. Tears of sadness and grief; tears of frustration and boredom; and tears of fear and loneliness. But for some there have also been tears of joy. What would it take for our tears of sadness to turn to tears of joy? In this dramatic encounter with Jesus we are given a reason. Mary’s confused devastation turns to astonished joy (v13-16). The one who was dead is now alive. Can it be so? Put yourself in Mary’s place for a moment. All of her longings and dreams had been shattered when Jesus was crucified. And now, in this great reversal, it was almost too good to be true! There is a huge difference between hope and optimism. Optimistic people want something to be true regardless of the evidence. According to the Bible, lasting hope is true regardless of whether we want i