I teared up as I read aloud the familiar Easter text: “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb” (John 20:1). It was Easter 2020, just a few weeks into the COVID-19 pandemic, and the words felt more real than ever before. There I was: a woman alone in an empty sanctuary, preaching about a woman alone in an empty tomb. I stood alone amongst the colorful Easter tulips and a cross surrounded by beautiful blossoms, reading Scripture to empty wooden pews and an iPad precariously rigged to a tripod.
I felt Mary Magdalene speaking to me that day, reminding me of her lonely, grief-filled journey that first Easter morning. I have always had a special affinity for all the Marys in Jesus’ discipleship circle, and that Easter, they invited me into Scripture in a new way.
As a daughter and a mother, I find pieces of myself in Mary, the mother of Jesus, who carried him, birthed him, nursed him, raised him, fed him, played with him, nurtured him, lost him(!), walked with him, and suffered his death on the cross from just below. Mary invites us to be nurtured and nurturing.
As a pastor, reader, and writer, I find pieces of myself in Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, who sat listening at the feet of Jesus, and who anointed him with her most expensive perfume. Mary invites us to listen and serve.
As a person of faith, I find pieces of myself in “the other” Mary, Mary the mother of James, and Mary the wife of Clopas. While we know little about these Marys’ lives, we honor their names and steadfast faithfulness every Easter morning. The Marys invite us to daily faithfulness.
As a preacher, I find pieces of myself in Mary Magdalene, the first Christian preacher — the first person to proclaim the resurrection of our Lord. Mary Magdalene invites us to walk in her footsteps every Easter as we once again discover the empty tomb and proclaim, “Christ is Risen Indeed!”
Every Easter, we tell Mary’s story — how she (either alone or with others, depending on which Gospel you read) came at sunrise, expecting to anoint the dead body of her Lord and Teacher, Jesus Christ. Yet alone (in John’s account), she finds the stone rolled away. Alone she goes inside. Alone she finds it empty. Alone she runs to Peter and John. After they leave, she is left alone again … until Jesus finds her.
I wonder, where Jesus will find us this Easter.
On Easter 2020, Jesus invited me to experience Mary Magdalene’s loneliness through the Johannine narrative. This Easter, Jesus is inviting me into the Lukan narrative where a group of angels in dazzling clothes proclaim: “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” (Luke 24:5). In a time of isolation, I found pieces of myself in Mary’s aloneness. Now in a time of new possibilities, I find pieces of new life in dazzling light, a company of faithful friends, and the angels’ proclamation to the church: Why do you look for the living among the dead? It’s time for new life! It’s no longer time to look back, but time to look ahead. It’s time to get up, go out, and get going. For God is doing dazzling new things.
I have now preached the Easter story for 15 years and heard it for 40 Easters. Yet, every year, the holy text invites me to experience it anew. How is Jesus inviting you into the “old, old story” this Easter? Do you feel the loneliness of Mary Magdalene? Do you feel the confusion of Peter and the disciples? Do you feel the companionship of the women named Mary and Joanna and Salome? Do you feel the doubt of the disciples as they dismiss the “idle tale”? Do you feel the fear of the women who ran away and said nothing to anyone? Do you feel the love of Jesus as he says Mary Magdalene’s name? Do you feel the love of Jesus as he says your name once again this Easter and invites you back into the miracle of new life?
