The Good News is summed up in the saying of that name. No, it’s not the name that’s important. It could have just as well been Joanna, Martha, Peter, John or some other name.

Nor does it matter who bore the name. It could have been any of Jesus followers who came to the grave: grieving, confused, hurting, lost, despairing.

What matters is who spoke the name, how it came to be spoken, why it was spoken and what this means for us 2000+ years later.

Obviously, Jesus was the one who called Mary by name. There doesn’t seem to be any question about that. But, that Jesus spoke it is important. Notice a few verses earlier, when Mary looked into the tomb and saw the angels, one of them addressed her too. But, the angel doesn’t use Mary’s name. The angel just addresses her as "Woman". To the angel Mary is just that - a woman, one of those lower mortal beings God created. Contrary to the stories we tell children, angels are impersonal heavenly beings. They are God’s messengers. They don’t get into personal relationships with humans.

Jesus, on the other hand, became human so that God could get very personal with His human creatures. Jesus shows that God feels. He relates and He cares. Thus, Jesus doesn’t stand off, detached and unmoved by Mary’s sorrow. With all the unimaginable love God has, He reaches out to this suffering woman and He calls her by name, "MARY".

How Jesus came to speak this name, "Mary", is also important. Mary didn’t hear some disembodied voice from heaven. No, it was Jesus alive and in the flesh who called her name. He had risen from the dead.

Much as we might wish it otherwise, the dead are gone. We can, and should, hold them in our hearts. We can and should remember loving things they said to us and did with us. But, contrary to what supposed psychics and mediums may claim, the dead cannot speak to us and will not speak until Jesus raises them (and us) on the last day.

But Jesus was not a mere mortal who must rest in the grave until judgement day. Jesus is able to speak to Mary because He is the Son of God and no grave can hold Him. He breaks the bonds of death and speaks Mary’s name to show that as the sinless One who bore the sins of the world He has overcome death for us as well. We may not be able to speak to loved ones from the other side of the grave, but we live by faith in the resurrected Jesus that we will see them again when Jesus, in love, comes to claim us as His redeemed.

And that, of course, is what is behind this story: love. The Gospel, the story of God’s work to save humankind by sending His Son into the world, is one epic love story. God loved His creation from the beginning so intensely that He couldn’t let them go to hell, no matter how they rejected Him. So, out of this lavish, totally undeserved, prodigal love, God came to earth, was born of a human mother, resisted temptation and lived a sinless life, suffered and died for our sins, and rose on the day we call Easter, just so He could have His beloved as His own. Thus, He calls Mary, claiming her, letting her know she is not alone and lost. Jesus speaks her name to show her He will be with her forever.

And Jesus speaks our names. On this Easter and in every moment of our lives, Jesus calls to John, Karen, Bill, Joanne, Gary, Emma, Greg, Natalie, Bob, Debbie - to each of you. He calls YOUR name. He calls you personally. He calls you because He love you and wants to be in relationship with you. He wants to soothe your fears, ease your anxieties, relieve your stress, lessen your pain and walk with you through all the joyful and sad events of your life. He wants to show you how to have a life of abundant joy, not just in heaven, but here and now.