Easter at Shoreline | Shoreline Church | 2026 | Message

Nails in his hands, there was no turning back. It is finished, he cried, and the veil was torn through. Hope seemed buried as the daylight withdrew. Carried down from the cross, Jesus was killed. Wrapped in white linen, his body laid still. The stone sealed the silence, the night had begun. Saturday whispered, it's over, it's done. But Sunday was coming, the dark could not stay. The grave lost its hold when the stone rolled away. They expected a body, what else could it be? Instead, they found promise, alive and set free. Through the eyes of the broken, all hope was restored. Jesus is risen. Jesus is Lord. ♪♪♪ Good morning, everybody. Happy Easter. We want to give a very warm welcome to all of you who are watching online from around the community, the state, and even some cases around the world. We welcome you to our campuses here in Austin, Texas. And a huge shout-out to our Shoreline South campus that's joining us live right now. Come on, let's give it up for Shoreline South. We love you guys so very much. You guys happy to be in church? Come on, turn to the person right next to you and say, I'm doing so good, there ought to be two of me. Come on, just tell them.

It's great to have you. Welcome. Let's all of us stand to our feet. We do something at the beginning of every single message. We recite what we call is our Shoreline Creed. And these are a collection of statements that we believe that actually helps us understand that Christianity is not just wisdom on how to live a better life, but it is God doing for us what we could never do for ourselves. And we're super excited about next week because we're going to be doing a deep dive into this whole idea of grace and why it is so important and how it can impact our lives. You don't want to miss it next week, but we celebrate it every single week in our Shoreline Creed. If you're new to Shoreline, you can read along the rest of us. We're going to say this with some enthusiasm and passion. You guys ready? Here we go. I am loved by God. I cannot earn it. I cannot lose it. I am forgiven and made brand new. In Christ, I live with passion and purpose. I am empowered by the spirit to be the church in the world

and to live this love revolution. Come on, let's give God praise for that. All right, you may be seated. So I'm really excited about today's message. We are going to look at the Easter story through the eyes of three different people. And it is my conviction this morning that you're going to find yourself in one of these three people. You're going to be able to identify with their attitude and with their perspective and you're going to see yourself in their story. People are often described in groups of three. You know, it's been said that there are three different ways that people approach life. One person will make things happen. Another person watches things happen. And the third person asks, what happened? There are three different perspectives that you can have on the same conversation. Three kind of elderly gentlemen were having a walk and the first one says, it's windy. The second one says, no, it's Thursday. And the third person says, I'm thirsty too. Let's go get a drink. There are three different ways to think about women. Women are different from men. Women are different from each other. And women are different on different days. I was sharing that with our small group

and one of the ladies in our group said, shoot, we're not just different on different days. We're different on the same day. Every day. Every morning I wake up and it's a surprise. Who will I wake up by today? And don't get me wrong. I'm not dissing anybody. You know, we like it that way. There's, you know, the spice of life is in the variety, but we're going to be talking about three different people, three different ways that we could perceive what happened on that first Easter Sunday. You might find yourself in the category of Mary Magdalene who came to worship with a heart full of devotion, or you might find yourself in the space of the apostle John who believed, but his faith needed a boost. Or you could find yourself in the space of Peter who desperately needed a second chance. So let's talk first about Mary. John chapter 20 and verse one picks up her story early on the first day of the week while it was still dark. So Jesus was crucified on Friday. Saturday is the traditional Sabbath of the Jewish people. And then Sunday is the first day of the week. And the Bible says that when it was still dark, a miracle happened, but nobody on planet earth knows about it yet. Mary Magdalene went to the tomb. Who is Mary? It gets a little bit confusing because there are a lot of Marys, but this particular Mary gets mentioned more than even some of the disciples. There is Mary, the mother of Jesus. And then there's Mary and Martha, the sisters to Lazarus. And then there is Mary Magdalene. There is also Mary who had a little lamb, but I don't think she's in the Bible. What do we know about Mary Magdalene? We know that Jesus set her free, that she experienced a total transformation of her life. She had a sinful past, but so what? Every single one of us gathered here today can identify with that. And Jesus saved her and Jesus transformed her and she became a follower of Jesus. And so she probably heard a lot of the messages that Jesus preached. She heard that forgiveness is more powerful than holding a grudge, that love is more powerful than hate, that generosity is more powerful than selfishness, and that if you really want to lead, then be a servant of all. She heard all of that, but she also experienced a miracle in her own life and probably saw a lot of the miracles that Jesus did. She probably saw the blind eyes opening and the lame people walking and all kinds

of miracles, like the feeding of the 5,000 with just a few loaves of bread and some fish. And there are many of us here today in Mary's space. We came to church today because Jesus has transformed our lives. We came to church today because we had a sinful past and he saved us. We came to church today because we have had our prayers answered. We prayed and God has worked miracles in our lives and not just in our lives, but in the lives of the people that we love and care about. So in a lot of ways, there are many of us here today, exactly like Mary Magdalene. Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb. There's a famous poem, last at the cross, first at the tomb that describes Mary perfectly. She woke up on that Sunday morning to prepare his body for burial. And that is a really important point. She was going to the tomb expecting to find a body. Mary Magdalene in verse one and two went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and John. The other disciple, the one that Jesus loved and said, they have taken the Lord out of the tomb and we don't know where they have put him. The stone was removed and the tomb was empty, but she doesn't say he's alive. He's alive, she doesn't say that. That's not what comes to her mind. She runs back to Peter and John and says, somebody has stolen the body. That's what she thinks. And Peter and John don't respond back to her. Oh, silly girl, don't you realize he has risen? No, they're just as surprised as she is. The point, nobody was expecting a resurrection. Nobody was expecting no body. Mary goes back to the tomb and she just hangs out there. It speaks to her devotion.

In John chapter 20, verse 11, now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. She is heartbroken. The one that radically changed her life has died. And now somebody has stolen the body. But she sees something, perhaps in her peripheral vision, she sees something stirring. And as she wept, she bent over and looked into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus's body had been. One at the head and the other at the feet. Mary is weeping. She turns her head and looks into the tomb and sees those two angels and those two angels ask a question. And in asking this question, they answered the question that people have been asking since creation. Are angels male or female? In verse 13, they ask her, woman, why are you crying? And men have been asking that very same question throughout all of history. And listen to what she says. It's heartbreaking. Tears are flowing from her cheeks. Nobody believes that Jesus has risen from the dead. She says, they've taken my Lord away and I don't know where they have put him. Then she hears something stirring behind her.

In verse 14, as she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she didn't realize that it was Jesus. We don't know if it was dark. We don't know if it was the hood that he might've been wearing. We don't know if it was the distance, but I'm convinced that there is a smile so big on the face of Jesus because everything is about to change for Mary. Everything is about to change for the disciples. Everything is about to change for every single one of us. Everything is about to change forever. Amen. And Jesus asks her the same question that the angels do, but with a clue. He asked her, woman, why are you crying? Who is it that you are looking for? And what happens next, honestly, I think is much more funny than what we would imagine. I know when we read the Bible, we read it contemplatively and often very seriously, but there's something really funny that happens here. We don't think it's funny, but it is. Verse 15, thinking he was the gardener. He's the gardener. I'm absolutely sure that Mary told this story for the rest of her life. People would come up to her, oh, you're Mary Magdalene. You're the very first person to see the resurrected savior.

Tell us what it was like. And she just says, oh, you wouldn't believe it. I saw Jesus standing behind me, but I didn't know it was him. I thought it was the gardener. I thought Jesus was the gardener. And everybody would laugh. And why did Mary think that the man standing behind her was the gardener? Because nobody was expecting a resurrection. Verse 15, sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him and I will go get him. Now I've made this point over and over and over that nobody was expecting a resurrection. And I'm. I think that some of you might be asking yourself, why? Because I think a lot of people think that the Bible was written by a bunch of people who wanted the story to be true so bad that they just made it up. But here is an eyewitness account and every indication is that nobody was expecting a resurrection. And it's what historians call points of authenticity. The reason why this story feels true is because it is true. They all thought it was over, but it wasn't. And this is the most beautiful part of the story. Jesus said to her, Mary. Jesus calls her by her name.

And for some reason, when Mary hears her name and the voice of Jesus calling her name, she connects the dots, she puts it all together and she runs and she hugs him. He's alive. He's alive and if he is alive, that means that love has not died. It means that the dream has not died. It means that the kingdom has not died. And it means that she will not die. And we will not die either. It's true. It's all true. Everything he said is true. And her heart was filled with wonder and devotion. And I'm sure that's how many of you feel today. He has delivered you. He has saved you in every way that you can be saved. He has transformed your life. He's answered your prayers. He's worked miracles. And you came to church today, fighting the crowds. You came today because you wanna give him praise just like Mary Magdalene did. And I want you to know something. Jesus knew Mary's name, but he also knows your name. Mary. Adrian. Adriana.

Demi. Spencer. Alicia. Robert. Emma. Cory. Naomi. Donna. Antonio. Ruben. Carlos. Natalie. Trevor. Tony. Sarah. Jessica. James. Morefield. Amy. Melissa. Alex. Raymond. Rebecca. Joy. Adam. David. Christy. Mary. You know my name. You know my name.

You know my name. You know my name. Before I first met your love. You know my name. Oh, King Jesus. Jesus, Jesus, your name is like the morning light. The one the darkness can't deny. The resurrection and the life. Jesus, Jesus, your name can save, remain, can heal. Humane, can make the storm be still. You never fail, he never will. Jesus, Jesus, the bread of life broken for us. The wounded and the worthy one. The first and last and still to come. Jesus, Jesus, the King who overwhelmed the grave. The Lord who will forever reign. Be the name above all other names, Jesus. Oh, Jesus, be the name. Jesus, be the name above it all. Jesus, be the name that gets all the glory. Jesus, oh, Jesus, be the name. Jesus, be the name. Jesus be the name, you hold all the glory Oh Jesus be the name Be the life, be the life, all reign above it all Give Jesus, Jesus be the name Jesus be the name above it all Jesus be the name that gets all the glory Reign above all names The name above all names

His name is King Jesus He holds all the glory He holds all the glory Oh His name is Jesus I told you, some of you felt exactly like Mary. You know what's kind of interesting, you could feel like Mary and John. Mary, John, and Peter were kind of complex that way. But Mary came to worship. John, he came because his faith needed a boost. In John chapter 20 in verse 8. Finally, the other disciple, the one that Jesus loved, that's John, reached the tomb. And he went inside and he saw and he believed. He believed, but his faith needed a boost. There's a story in the Bible that I think describes so many of us at times. The father had brought his son to Jesus and he needed a miracle. And Jesus said to the father, he said, all things are possible to them that believe. And the father cried out, he said, I do believe, but help my unbelief. Have you ever felt like that? I know I have. Sometimes it's an unexpected tragedy. We've experienced tragedies in our life. We know what it feels like when everything in your world turns dark. And you believe. But there's some doubts. And your faith needs a boost. Sometimes we feel that way when we think that God should be speaking to us. We're praying and we're looking for answers, but it seems like heaven is silent. We believe, but our faith needs a boost. Sometimes it's the reversal of our circumstances. Maybe it's that our health has turned for the worse.

Financial challenges, relational difficulties. And sometimes it's our own fault. It's not that we're doing anything really bad or evil. It's just that we've taken some steps back. We've stopped doing some of the things that we used to do. We used to wake up and read our Bibles and pray, but it's been a while since we've done that. We used to faithfully attend church and gather together with other believers to worship the Lord and hear his word. We don't take that as serious now as we used to. And it's having an effect on our life. We believe. But our faith needs a boost. I read in a recent study that 84% of people in the United States of America believe that Jesus rose from the dead. And to be honest, I'm not surprised by that statistic because the evidence is overwhelming. There is more statistical evidence, more authentic historical evidence that Jesus rose from the dead than Julius Caesar being the emperor of Rome. When you think about all of the evidence, it's overwhelming. There are 12 different biblical references. This to Jesus interacting with people. He did it in small groups, two at a time. He would do it individually one. He would do it with all 11 disciples. And there was one time the Bible says that he, that he appeared to 500 people at the same time. So we're not talking about, you know, some myth or legend or fable concocted by a few deranged people. We're talking about something that really happened. And if CNN was there, they'd be broadcasting 24 seven because all of Jerusalem was abuzz with the news. And I think I know what their headline would be. Where is the body? And that's a really good question.

The fact that the tomb is empty is irrefutable. The evidence overwhelming the tomb is empty. The question is, is why is the tomb empty? Is it empty? Because the followers of Jesus stole the body in some kind of desperate attempt to manufacture a new religion? That seems unlikely because every single one of the disciples except John died a martyr's death proclaiming the resurrection. Don't you think that one of them would have said, oh, you know what? We stole the body. Let me show you where it is. Don't you think one of them before they were about to be executed for their faith would have recanted, but none of them did. So you say, well, maybe it was the enemies of Jesus that stole the body. But honestly, that doesn't make any sense either. Why wouldn't they just produce the body to put an end to Christianity in its infancy? The only logical conclusion that you can come to is what we celebrate today. He is not dead. The tomb is empty because he is risen. The dead body of Jesus was filled with the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit and he is alive. Maybe you came to church here today and you believe, but your faith needs a boost. You need to see. And sometimes it's just seeing the testimony of what God has done in other people's lives, or maybe it's just seeing a fresh perspective. But I want you to know that God brought you here this morning, not by accident or by coincidence. It's a divine appointment. So you could see with a fresh set of eyes and believe. walk away those tears child there's no need to cry stand up on your feet now lift your head up high

don't wait for the morn lay down your sorrow because freedom is here today walk away those tears child put down your shame oh I see an empty grave I hear the heavens waking angels in jubilation that stone's been rolled away I feel the darkness breaking I bet the devil's shaking somebody celebrate I see an empty grave Please, oh Wipe away those tears child There's no need to cry Stand up on your feet now Lift your head up high Don't wait for tomorrow Lay down your star Cause freedom is here today Wipe away those tears child Put down your shame Oh, I see it Let's be great I hear the heavens waking Angels in jubilation And storms may roll away I feel the darkness breaking I'll bet the devil's shaking Somebody said I'll break I see an empty grave Yeah, yeah Whoa, whoa Yeah, yeah

Yeah, yeah Oh, I see it Let's be great I hear the heavens waking Angels in jubilation And storms may roll away I feel the darkness breaking I'll bet the devil's shaking Somebody said I'll break I see an empty grave Oh, oh Come on somebody You can't have an Easter celebration in Texas without a little country Mary came to worship John came because his faith needed a boost But then there's Peter Who needed a second chance And there are some of you I am sure who came to church today And you're not where you need to be in your relationship with God You've made some mistakes You've turned your back In your own way You denied the Lord We've all been there Many years ago I had the opportunity to go to Europe And I was in Italy in Rome And in Rome there is a great cathedral They call it St. Peter's Basilica And in that particular magnificent building There is a huge statue of Peter

And if you were to go I'm sure any single day That building is open If you would go there would be a long line of people waiting In front of that statue of Peter And what people do is that they will walk by that statue And they just reach out to touch Peter They touch his toe In fact his big toe has been touched so many times That it's actually been worn down And why do people feel this desire To touch Peter I think it's because we can all relate to him He is us None of us have it all together Pastors included All you have to do is ask my wife Peter was a leader His name was always mentioned first in the Bible When it came to a list of the disciples Peter, James, John He was committed One time Jesus spoke some things that were hard for people to hear And so people were turning away And Jesus turns to his disciples and says Are you going to leave too? And it was Peter who stands up and says Where would we go? You're the one Who has the words of life In the garden when the Roman soldiers

came to arrest Jesus. It was Peter who drew out his sword. He was courageous, but he also had an epic fail, a huge gigantic train wreck. And we find Peter in the courtyard close enough to Jesus to see him, but far enough away where he loses his courage and loyalty. Have you ever been there? I don't know him. Peter says, as he's warming himself by the fire, someone else comes up to him. I don't know him. And then a third time, but this time he's so emphatic that he adds some cursing to his declaration of denial. The big salty fishermen, his back and the rooster crows. And then some of the most haunting words you'll ever read Luke chapter 22, verse 61, and the Lord turned and looks straight at Peter. Can you imagine with me what that look would feel like to Peter? If it was us doing the looking, I am sure that our look would be a hard look, a look of anger, a look of you betrayed me a look of disappointment, perhaps frustration, but we're talking about Jesus here. And I'm convinced that that look was a look of unconditional love. Peter had an epic fail, but so has every single one of us. We have all denied the Lord. We have all gone our own way. We have all allowed selfishness and pride to grab hold of us. We have all given into our darker impulses, but what I love about this particular resurrection story is that when the ladies got to the tomb, the angels spoke to them and said this, don't be alarmed. He is not here. He is arisen. And then some of the most beautiful words you'll ever read in the entire Bible, go tell his disciples and Peter, go tell the disciples and Peter. I love that. And Peter part, the angels wanted to make sure that Peter knew that the resurrection redemption story included him. And God wants to make sure that you understand this morning, that the resurrection story includes you. God wants you to put your name right where Peter's name was. Go tell the disciples and Rob, go tell the disciples and Laura, especially Laura, go tell the disciples and Sally, go tell the disciples and Bill and Pedro and Fred Lynn. He's the God of the second chance. Perhaps you came to church today and you are not where you need to be. What we celebrate on Easter and good Friday for that matter is that we can't make it on our own. There's nothing we can do. So he did it for us. We can't earn it. So he gave it to us as a gift. We don't deserve it, but he gave it to us anyway, because he loves us. And I want you to take a moment with nobody leaving nobody moving around. I want you to take a moment and hear the words of this one minute song and let the words of grace saturate your heart.

You did it. And even though I couldn't earn it, you give it. Holy, holy, there's nothing I couldn't earn. ♪ There's only one ♪ ♪ I give you glory for all that you've done ♪ ♪ Even though I don't deserve it, you did it, you really did ♪ ♪ And even though I couldn't earn it, you give it ♪ ♪ And even though I couldn't earn it, you did it, you really did ♪ Would you bow your heads and close your eyes this morning. Nobody leaving early, nobody moving around. This is your moment. We don't deserve it, but he did it. We can't earn it, so he gave it to us as a gift. He paid for your sins, he paid for mine. If you came to church here this morning and you would say, pastor, I'm not where I need to be with God. I'm not living right, I'm not doing right, I need prayer. Maybe you made a decision at one point in time, but you slipped away and today you need to rededicate your life to serving him, a second chance. Or maybe you have never invited Jesus into your heart and you want to, that's a first chance. And in both cases, his arms are wide open to you today. If you're not where you need to be with God and you say, I want to be, I want you to do something. I want you to raise your hand like you're not ashamed to be prayed for. That's me, I need to get right with God. Come on, just raise your hand wherever you are. Hands are going up all over this building. What a beautiful sight.

All of you with your hands raised, I want to lead you in a very simple prayer to invite Jesus into your heart. And I want you to pray this prayer out loud after me. Would you do that? And everyone else in this building as a reaffirmation of your faith in God, let's all of us pray together. Let's pray, Heavenly Father. Come on, let's pray. Heavenly Father, I thank you for sending Jesus. Jesus, I ask you to come into my heart. Forgive me of all my sins. I put my trust in you. I believe that you are risen from the dead and I will live for you. From this day forward, by your power, for your glory, in Jesus' name, amen, amen, amen, amen. I know that there's a little bit of a temptation to feel like, you know, you need to leave a little bit early. You want to beat the Baptist to crack a barrel. But they've already been there. They're already standing in line, so just relax, okay? I would love for this moment to be a moment where we can just all worship God for what he's done for us. With a heart of gratitude, would you do that? Let's all of us stand to our feet and just let him know how grateful you are.

Come on. Yeah. And oh, hallelujah. Cause you gave me chance after chance. And oh, do you believe it? Hey. After chance. I'm really, really grateful. I'm really, really grateful, yeah. God, I'm just grateful for you. God, I'm just grateful for you. Who am I that you keep me on your mind? God, I'm just grateful for you. Are you really grateful? God, I'm just grateful for you. Are you really grateful? Yeah. And all my life you've been right here by my side, God, I'm just grateful for you, God, I'm just grateful for you. And I survive and I'm here to testify, God, I'm just grateful for you, God, I'm just grateful for you. And I'm all right, come on, I'm all right if they say I'm out of my mind, God, I'm just grateful for you, God, I'm just grateful for you. As a way to remember that he did it all for you, we do have these kind of like Bible bookmarks that says he did it all for Mary, he did it all for John, he did it all for Peter, and then there's a spot for you to put your name in there. I want you to grab one of these on your way out, our ushers will help you with that. Don't forget, next week is going to be Baptism Sunday, and so we're gonna have a huge outdoor baptism service, it's gonna be absolutely amazing, weather permitting, of course. And if you haven't been baptized and you want to, you can do that, you can sign up. If you made a decision to follow Jesus today, at every single exit, there's an opportunity for you to get some resources that will help you on this journey. Happy Easter from all of us here at Shoreline, God bless you, and we look forward to seeing you next week. God bless, we'll see you then.