Christmas has a way of bringing everything to the surface. The joy and gratitude, of course, peace and hope, yes, sure, but also the things we prefer to keep tucked away. Family tensions feel closer than usual. Grief over the missing seat at the table. Financial pressure, exhaustion, loneliness, and the weight of unspoken expectations can sit not-so-quietly beneath the celebrations. Even good things can feel heavy when it just feels like you’re trying to hold things together.

This Sunday, we’ll open the Scriptures to the story of Mary Magdalene, a woman whose life had been deeply changed by Jesus, and whose story sits, perhaps unexpectedly, right at the heart of the message of Christmas. Her experience helps us slow down and consider how we interpret what God is doing when life doesn’t happen the way we expected.

We’ll reflect on what it means for Jesus to change everything, how hope can hold even when everything feels heavy, and why seeing Jesus clearly matters more than having everything figured out. Whether this season feels joyful and simple, complicated and chaotic, or somewhere in between, join us as we look again at Jesus together.

Series: What the Women Saw
Message 4 - Mary Magdalene Saw Jesus
Text: Luke 8:1-3; John 20:1-2, 11-18
Jordan Coros
Harvest Bible Chapel
December 21, 2025

O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant. O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.

O come, all ye faithless, joyless and defeated. O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.

Christmas is for the weary, for the messed-up, for the broken. If your life isn’t instagrammable, Christmas is for you.
- Sam Allberry

When I see Jesus like Mary Magdalene saw him…

1) …my past doesn’t define me (Luke 8:1-3)

2 Corinthians 5:17

2) …my hope is undying (John 20:1-2, 11-13)

Romans 5:5

3) …my faith is anchored (John 20:14-16)

On hearing her name, Mary suddenly realized that it could be none other than Jesus. She had seen him placed in the tomb as a lifeless corpse. But now he spoke. He was alive!
– Robert H. Mounce, The Expositor's Bible Commentary

The posture most natural to Jesus is not a pointed finger but open arms.
– Dane Ortlund, Gentle and Lowly

4) …my life is redirected (John 20:17-18)

The obligation to tell others is more important than the natural desire to display affection. The purpose of Jesus’ resurrection was not so that he could return to this world in triumph, but so he could return to God, having completed his redemptive ministry on behalf of humanity.
– Robert H. Mounce, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary