April 20, 2019
Scripture Reading: John 20:1-18
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.’ Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went towards the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes. –John 20:1-10
I am writing this on Good Friday, which this year is the 24th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. I listened to the morning news that covered a report regarding the 20th anniversary of the Columbine School shooting which is tomorrow followed by special local coverage of the speeches from the Oklahoma City memorial—all heart felt, some so close to the event that the 24 years melted away. While I recognize the importance of such remembrances, I am past ready for the creation of any more. I have been to Dachau and read the words “Never Again.”
I tried to imagine how Mary Magdalene felt when she arrived at Jesus’ tomb and found it empty—neatly empty. No broken stones are described, no wadded mess of linen on the floor, just emptiness. I remember the fervent search for bodies after the bombing, how important it was for those first responders to find all the people believed to be in the building. How important it was for families and friends to know what happened to them. It was just as important for Mary Magdalene to care for the body of Jesus.
Good Friday was so labeled because the death of Jesus marked the beginning of a new focus for the people of God. Out of great loss and grief a new commitment to living as God envisioned for God’s creation was birthed. Holy Week reminds us of our need to recommit our lives to that vision of peace and love where mass murders and school shootings and holocausts are no longer the norm but ancient history.
On what some call Silent Saturday as Jesus was thought to be lying in a tomb, the beginning of this renewed commitment was quietly moving forward. Let us prepare ourselves anew for the revolution of resurrection coming first witnessed by Mary Magdalene.
Prayer: Holy One, grant us the peace that passes understanding today as we place our hope in your resurrection. Amen.
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.