Why was Mary crying when she got to the tomb?
 
•    She was crying because she was sad at the death of Jesus. She was crying because she didn’t know what to do. She was confused. Where was Jesus’ body?
 
•    The grave was empty! Mary was prepared to put spices and perfume on Jesus’ body, but there was no Jesus! She was confused - devastated. She had no idea where they had taken Him.
 
•    Why are you crying ______________(put your name in here) - We cry when we’re sad, when we’re lonely, when we’re afraid, when we’re hurt. We cry when we’re lost. Sometimes we cry because we’re a different kind of lost
 
•    Because our lives are empty. We cry because we feel lost from God. We know there’s something missing and we don’t know what to do to make it better. God gave us a choice. We choose what is most important in our lives. We can choose anything, but if it’s not God, the empty feeling never goes away; we’re not being filled up with the right thing and our lives cry for God. But, the good news is - God did not intend for our lives to be empty! Jesus left the empty grave behind. And, we can leave our empty heart behind also.
 
•    What changed Mary’s tears into a smile? When Mary realized the empty tomb was a good thing, she stopped crying and ran to tell the others that Jesus was alive! The empty tomb didn’t mean that someone had taken Jesus and hid him; it meant that Jesus was alive again, that He had beat death and had risen!
 
•    What can change your tears into a smile? When we’re the empty kind of lost, we cry, but we don’t have to stay lost. We can get rid of that empty feeling. God’s Holy Word - the Bible - tells us how to do that. Confess your sins, which means you have to admit what you have done that displeases God. Ask God to forgive you. Tell God you accept Jesus as your Savior and you believe that Jesus took your punishment when He died on the cross. Then, thank God that Jesus did not stay dead and that you can live with Him forever in Heaven! And, continually live for Him, according to the Word of God - we need to show that we are living for Jesus in our everyday lives. And tell others about Jesus too!
 
     Mary’s tears changed to a smile when she realized that the tomb was empty because Jesus was alive. Our tears can change to smiles when we realize that Jesus came so that our empty lives would be full. Jesus came back to life, and He can give you a new life!