An "Accidental" Reading on Advent: If Jesus Said My Name

Ever since I was roommates with Anna, I've participated in Advent readings every night. It's a tradition that she shared with me and one that has grown dear to my heart. I may not have an advent wreath yet or the right candles, but I do what I can with the simple tea candles that I do have.

This year, Joey and I are doing the readings together it it's kind of the best thing. 

The reason for my title:
The other day I "accidentally" read out of John instead of Luke. I read John 20, where Mary Magdalene finds out the Jesus is not in the tomb and she's afraid people have taken his body away. 

¹¹ Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb¹² and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

¹³ They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”¹⁴ At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

¹⁵ He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

¹⁷ Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

I got goosebumps when I read the line where Jesus says HER name. What would it sound like if he said MY name? Would I know it was him? Would I get chills down my spine? Would I fall to the ground? Would I cry? Yes, yes, yes, yes, and YES! I don't think it was an accident that I read it. For so many reasons this passage hits my heart. Jesus hasn't disappeared in my life.