SPB Sermons | Easter Sunday 2026
Who Are You Searching For?
John 20:1–18 takes us to the garden on the first Easter morning, where Mary Magdalene stands weeping at an empty tomb. This sermon reflects on the searching heart of every human person, the silence and shock of the empty grave, and the extraordinary moment when the risen Jesus calls Mary by name — and changes everything.
Easter Meets Us Where We Are Searching
We live in a world full of restless searching. People search for meaning, for belonging, for something that will hold. Mary comes to the tomb in the dark, searching for the body of the one she loved and followed. What she finds instead is an empty grave, two angels, and a gardener who turns out to be anything but. Easter does not just answer our questions. It answers our searching — with a person.
The Empty Tomb: Shock Before Understanding
"They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him."
Mary's first response to the empty tomb is not joy — it is confusion and grief. She does not yet understand what has happened. The grave clothes are lying there, the stone is rolled away, and she can only conclude that someone has moved the body. That matters, because the resurrection was not the kind of thing the disciples were expecting, or even looking for. Easter does not arrive as the answer to a question they were asking. It arrives as something altogether new.
Confusion before clarity: Mary weeps, not knowing what to make of what she sees.
Seeking without finding: she mistakes Jesus himself for the gardener.
Grace in the gap: Jesus does not wait for her to work it out — he comes to her.
This is deeply encouraging for anyone who feels like they are searching in the dark. Easter's good news is not that we find our way to God, but that God finds his way to us.
The Moment That Changes Everything
The turning point of the passage is breathtaking in its simplicity. Jesus says one word: her name. "Mary." And in that moment, she knows. The risen Christ does not announce himself with thunder or spectacle. He calls her by name — and she recognises him. That is the heart of Easter. Not just an empty tomb as a historical fact, but a risen Saviour who knows his people personally and calls them to himself.
First
Christ Is Risen — Bodily and Really
The resurrection in John 20 is not a symbol or a feeling. It is a real event. The tomb is empty. The grave clothes are there. And Jesus appears — not as a ghost, but as the living Lord, still bearing the marks of the cross.
Second
He Still Calls People by Name
What Jesus did for Mary, he does still. The risen Christ makes himself known to searching people. He calls them personally, not just generally. Easter is not just a doctrine to believe — it is a person to encounter.
The Heart of Easter
In a World Full of Searching, Easter Answers with a Name
The question Jesus asks Mary — "Who are you looking for?" — is one he asks of every generation. It is not a question about information. It is a question about what we are truly searching for, what we think will satisfy, what we are hoping will hold. And in the resurrection, he answers not with an argument, but with himself.
Christ is risen. He is not a memory or a movement or an ideal. He is alive. And he is still the one in whom all the searching of the human heart finds its true end.
Why This Matters for Us
Many people today carry a deep sense that something is missing — a searching they cannot quite name. The resurrection speaks directly into that. It does not offer a system or a self-improvement programme. It offers a risen Saviour who calls people by name, who has defeated death, and who invites weeping, confused, searching people into the joy of knowing him.
Easter is not just good news for one Sunday. It is the foundation of everything — the ground beneath our feet, the hope ahead of us, and the presence with us now. Because he is risen, our searching can come to an end. Not because life becomes easy, but because we have found — or rather, been found by — the one who is life itself.
Listen to the Sermon
The full Easter sermon is available to listen to now. Whether you were with us on Sunday or are coming to it fresh, we hope it helps you sit again with the astonishing news of the resurrection and hear Christ calling your name.
Join Us
You Would Be Very Welcome
St Paul's & St Barnabas is an Anglican evangelical parish in the heart of North Belfast, seeking to make Christ known and to love our city in his name. We are a church family learning to follow Jesus, love one another, and serve our community in the hope of the gospel.
Whether you are part of church life already, returning after a long time away, or simply curious about the claims of Easter, you would be very welcome to join us in person on Sundays at St Paul's & St Barnabas, 208 York Street, Belfast.
He Is Risen
The tomb is empty. The stone is rolled away. And the risen Jesus is still calling people by name — searching people, grieving people, confused people, ordinary people. That is the news of Easter. And it is the best news the world has ever heard.
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