Two priests walk into a bar and see Jesus. It sounds like a good punchline for a joke. But Phillip Martin, pastor of Epiphany Lutheran Church in Richmond, Virginia, tells how he and a co-worker went into a brewery and actually saw a man dressed up like Jesus. Martin’s co-worker did not believe him until he actually saw the man with his own eyes. Then they took a picture with the man because they had “seen the Lord.”

This experience reminded Martin of Mary Magdalene’s exclamation to the disciples, the first Easter message: “I have seen the Lord.” In this passage (John 20:1-18), and in the entirety of the Fourth Gospel, “seeing is believing”–quite literally. Listen to Phillip Martin’s sermon and journey with Mary and the disciples as they see and believe in the risen Lord.

This sermon is from A Sermon for Every Sunday, a series of lectionary-based video sermons designed for use in worship, Bible study, small groups, Sunday school classes or for individual use.

For more sermon preparation help, check out Pulpit Resource, Will Willimon's weekly lectionary-based sermon resource, available online and through a print subscription.