Easter Sunday: Mary Magdalene - Apostle to the Apostles

Today, we look at this fascinating person named Mary Magdalene. 

In all four Gospels she's credited with being the first person to see Jesus Christ alive after the resurrection.

IF, as some have tried to maintain, since the start of Christianity, IF the disciples of Jesus concocted the story of Jesus Christ's resurrection – if they thought they would get famous or wealthy or considered to be super-spiritual heroes and THAT'S why they invented this story of the resurrection, IF the story was fabricated, Mary Magdalene would have been the worst possible choice to be the first witness because she was a woman with a shady reputation. 

People who rejected Christianity may have concluded that she'd been insane… "so why would we possibly trust her testimony? She's mentally ill!" That TO ME, is an indicator of the story's authenticity.

I want to look at her today and what she might tell us about WHAT Christianity IS and what IS its basic message to the world: 
1) Who was Mary Magdalene? 
2) Who was the Gardener she met?