Easter Is

It takes a woman to see Jesus.

According to John, Mary Magdalene had stayed the night, probably hiding in the eerie cemetery,  waiting to see when she could get into the tomb and do what she had to do, maybe some sort of embalmment of the body. Somehow, the Stone that had shut the tomb off from everything, had been moved and the tomb was empty. She ran to find the leader of team Jesus, Peter, a leader who had been so close, so supportive of him till it got too tough. I can imagine he was furious even horrified when a female, even though he knew her,  came running to them claiming Jesus was not in the tomb. She was upset because she didn’t know where they, whomever they were, had taken them.

So Peter and another disciple ran to the cemetery, making a race out of it and the “other disciple” beat Peter to the tomb. Both of the men, when they arrived saw the folded linen wrappings (which should be still around the dead body), and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head rolled up in a place apart.  They didn’t understand, like we do in hindsight, that scripture had said that “He must rise from the dead.” So the guys returned to their hideouts, their safe places, while Mary Magdalene stood weeping outside the tomb. If she wanted to know the truth, it was better to stay there than to flee.

Immediately, when the men had disappeared, she saw two angels sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying and they asked her why she was weeping. She was very emotional because “they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.“  Note that only Mary stayed to figure out what was happening, not the two so-called friends.  At that moment, Mary turned around from the tomb and saw a man standing there, and thinking he was the gardener for this high-class cemetery where Joseph of Arimathea had taken Jesus’ corpse and placed him in his tomb, she wept before the man saying she needed to find he who was in the tomb the previous night.

Immediately Jesus said,” Mary!” and she turned around and I’m sure she sighed “Rabbouni!”  He then told her not to grab him because he had not yet ascended to the Father, but to go to “my brothers” and say to them, that “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” Mary Magdalene, without hesitation or doubt, went to the disciples (although Jesus asked to give the message to his brothers, providing the possibility that he did have brothers) and said, “I have seen the Lord.” And I’m sure the male members of Jesus’ team, who had completely abandoned him in that excruciating experience Jesus suffered at his crucifixion,  were distressed and out-of-sort knowing that only Mary Magdalene saw him, spoke with him, and was faithful to him all the way. Once again, Jesus’ disciples had not followed through. But, of course, Easter is about forgiveness and hope and pardon and love. Easter keeps us alive and believing that God loves us, each one of us, the good and the bad. the loyal and the dis-loyal.

So today we have Easter. When someone says “Easter” immediately we in the northern hemisphere  fill our minds with images of  pink and yellow and white organza, chiffon, cotton, linen dresses for women, colorful neckties and sear-sucker suits for men - and don’t forget the cross (keep it simple, Jesus was crucified on a crude wooden pole) around one’s neck - all those springtime outfits and baskets filled with colorful eggs, and a room full of daffodils, hyacinths, tulips, crocus and maybe a branch of a pink dogwood tree. In the first half of my life, we all had to wear hats to church, which almost everyone went to, even those who rarely attended church,  but Easter Sunday was a positive. And one had to tear the kids away from the rabbits, the dyed-colored chickens, the baby lamb, or guinea pigs, chinchillas or whatever other animal the Easter bunny had dared to put in their hands to celebrate Easter and to get the kids to Sunday school. Most of the stock won’t last the week.

We must remember that it is always to celebrate the idea that Jesus Christ beat down hell, rose to sit at the right hand of his Father, gifted the Holy Spirit to us so we never forget who we are and why we are here. It gives us a reason to live, to share, to love, to hope that things don’t end on this small planet, but there is an amazing place called Heaven to which we all have the privilege to go to when life is done on earth.

So we all need to know, to carry in our heart and soul, that He is ours, He is mine, He is our neighbors and He belongs as well to every single man or boy, woman or girl locked up in prison and maybe don’t even believe because they never had the chance to know about Jesus. Sadly this giant world is still filled with those who do not know the story, who are hungover, homeless, heartbroken, and hungry, and it is up to us, especially priests and pastors, to share that love and understanding and hope with which Easter rewards us every year, so that all will know Christ. As churches vibrate with “Lift High the Cross”, I hope we remember our task is to love the most difficult, and to take up the mission to convince the sad and difficult ones that one doesn’t have to give up and do evil because it is all they learned growing up, avoiding the good road, that bundle of trusting friends, the hope of salvation and a home in heaven. God loves us all. Easter keeps hope in us all.

 ~ Rev
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audrey@audreytaylorgonzalez.com
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