Just showing up - and Resurrection

Mary.

He called her by name

– and she knew the voice, the friend who had spoken.

It wasn’t just that he knew her name

– it was that he knew her.

From grief

to utter confusion to tenderness.

From being alone

to being known, called, remembered. 

Mary Magdalene showed up.

A woman whom, we are told, Jesus had freed from 7 demons.

And she expressed her thanks

by showing up again, and again.

Mary knew the agony of grief.

No doubt she knew about the betrayal

the denial

the running away.

She showed up in the hardest parts of the story;

She was there at the foot of the cross with Jesus’ mother.

She was there when they placed his body in the cave

She was there when they rolled the stone in front of it.

Mary knew about violence and pain and grief and loneliness.

Whatever her demons had been, this was real too.

Friday, we too stood at this cross

as we placed sprigs of lavender and rosemary

in prayer for others.

Some came with tears, and others in hope

or in despair or desperation or a quiet stillness.

To follow Jesus is to stand at the cross,

In the midst of evil and suffering.

To be present to it.

To weep for ourselves and for others.

For mothers murdered in front of their children in our own city

For children stabbed by their fathers in places where we holiday

For families ripped apart by war

… and then ripped apart again as they seek refuge among us.

To weep for and stand with people who need to be freed from whatever demons or addictions or illness may hold them.

That’s Mary’s discipleship.

Because that’s where God shows up.

And then, like Mary, to show up

the next day

and the next.

Maybe not sure why …

except just to be present, to pray.

Mary showed up at the tomb,

expecting that this violence,

this tragedy

would continue.

It was after the Sabbath

when she sees the empty cave.

Someone has taken His body …

More grief, more agony, more tears.

She still runs back to Peter;

‘They have taken him, and we don’t know…’

There is a hurry to get to the tomb …

minds and hearts racing.

One looks … maybe afraid to go in.

Peter goes straight inside.

Seeing only the linen wrappings lying there

they walk home.

The hurry is over.

Mary shows up, again.

Back to the tomb. Again.

Maybe not sure why.

But that is Mary’s discipleship.

And then ...

"Mary"

Her name on his breath.

Spoken in a way that only he could.

With all the knowing

and all the tenderness

and all the care of the one who knew

all about her demons …

and knew her free of them.

Three have seen the empty tomb …

One stops for longer

to be named,

to be called,

to be known.

We also have inklings, glimpses,

things that take our breath away.

Moments when resurrection says, “a new thing is happening.”

hours where we know we believe more than anything else

that

Christ is risen.

And that, like Mary we can turn up.

And in those glimpses, those inklings,

our name is on his resurrected breath

inviting us to belong

inviting us to participate.

Here

Now

with his name on our breath.

And when we, like Mary Magdalene show up in the place of pain

and violence

and evil

and suffering,

We also stand in the place of …resurrection.

And with his name on our breath

We say

“death is not the last word.
Violence is not the last word.
Hate is not the last word.
Money is not the last word.
Intimidation is not the last word.
Political power is not the last word.
Condemnation is not the last word.
Betrayal and failure are not the last word.
No: each of them are left like rags in a tomb,

And from that tomb,
Arises Christ,
Alive.” *

Christ is risen.

He is risen. 

Indeed!

++++++++++++++++++++++ 

My thanks to Arnie Weiringa, Jennie Gordon (http://greaterfarthantongueorpen.wordpress.com/),

Nadia Bolz-Weber (http://www.patheos.com/blogs/nadiabolzweber/2012/07/sermon-about-mary-magdalen-the-masacre-in-our-town-and-defiant-alleluias/),

*Brian McLaren (http://brianmclaren.net/archives/blog/a-prayer-for-pastors-on-easter.html)