We worshipped him, transformed

Women are first to hear the news (Mark and Luke) and/or see (Matthew and John) Jesus resurrected in the canonical gospels. Try as you might to silence women – and the church has tried, to our shame – women are here, in the most profound moment of the gospel of Jesus the Christ. Here, first, privileged.

Women are bearers of new life – so of course they are here, at this rebirth. Women in many cultures and times and places have been present with each other in profound ways, midwifing new life into the world. So of course they are here, midwifing the good news of new life into the world, entrusted first with the message, first as witnesses.

Where are women in our communities today? How faithfully does the church enact this truth of the gospel of Christ, that women are trusted to bear witness – to see and to make seen – the good news of Jesus risen into life again?

Wanting to embrace this element of the story of Jesus’ resurrection – the women as witnesses – I have for us a letter from one of the two Marys from the story Matthew tells. Let us imagine how she might have spoken; let us listen to the witness, to the midwives inviting us to enter into this newness of life.

Mary of Magdala, apostle of Jesus, to the Body of Christ

Dear friends, family, followers on the Way:
May the peace of Holy One be with you all.

Two days after we had witnessed the death and burial of Jesus, our Rabbi, our friend, I had an extraordinary experience I must share with you.

I say I, of course I mean we, for the other Mary was with me, when, after the Sabbath as the first day was dawning, we went to see the tomb.
To see. To bear witness.
To enact practice and ritual as mothers, sisters, aunts, have done
through time with the dead, the departed, our beloved.

Friends, as we approached through the garden, the earth shifted – more, it shook! – shaking us off balance. We reached for each other and held on to each other to keep from falling like the rocks from above the tomb caves around us!

The sky seemed to open, to tear open like the Temple curtain days earlier, revealing, exposing, unveiling, the Divine!

A messenger – angelos ­– angel – with strength of three or four humans, and rumbling, ripples, groans from the ground as when an army on horseback thunders past, as that grave stone rolled away from its place over his grave.

The angel sat on the stone as one would recline at table, but oh, there was nothing so ordinary about their appearance.

Like lightning – so harshly bright we could not hold our gaze in that direction for long, and like snow just fallen, cleanest white, soft, inviting – a paradox embodied before us.

The guards gave into their fear and froze, and fell, as though dead –

all life denied.

So we two were left alone to hear:

‘Do not be afraid.’

I may have scoffed.

‘Do not be afraid. I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.

He is not here.’

At which we both gasped, and I felt Mary’s grip on my arm tighten to painful.

‘He has been raised, as he said he would be. Come – see the place where he lay.’

Halting at first, then curiosity emboldening, we stepped into the cave opening – and gasped again – He was not there! And we backed out, eager to hear more.

‘Go, now, quickly: tell his disciples, “Jesus has been raised from the dead, and indeed, as he said, he is going ahead to Galilee – there you will see him”.’

See him?

However unlikely it seems to you now, we turned without further question of such a remarkable suggestion, and ran, hearts pounding at once in fear and great joy. The hope we dared to reach for a gift from this holy stranger.

But suddenly, on our way, we were stopped short by a presence, a voice

‘Hello’

That voice – we know better than our own …

That voice – we had heard speak life into being from within ourselves –

that voice – his voice –

‘Hello’

Oh, we fell to our knees, took hold of his feet, and we worshipped him. Worshipped him. We had not worshipped him like this before, as if he was Holy One himself, but now, it was instinct, intuition, it was love – something deep within us responding to his fulness, his life – yes – alive!  – though we had seen him enter into death two days before.

‘Do not be afraid’

And we were not afraid, not anymore, not in a way that would hold us back!

‘Go, tell my brothers to go to Galilee. There, they will see me.’

We ran, leaving him and taking him with us, not turning back, only running, together, laughing, crying, calling out when still several houses from our friends – our little community at the heart of a larger community we felt sure now would return, would gather again, rise from the dust kicked up these past days of death and betrayal.

All that forgotten, now, with this return to life!

Take a moment – catch your breath.

Friends, what happens next is less often told, so I want to tell it to you now. I have heard aloud letters from Paul, who met Jesus, risen, on his way to Damascus, and turned his life around, as you also have surely heard told.

What happens next is people everywhere, like Mary and me, like Paul, like the eleven on the hill in Galilee – people everywhere meet Jesus alive again.

We can hardly tell you how he looked, but we knew him to be our Jesus
We can hardly tell you how we knew, but we recognised the voice of our Jesus
We can hardly tell you why, exactly, but we felt our fear melt away –
and hope take its place,
joy replacing sorrow,
this life we experienced in Jesus
transforming all that felt like death within us

We told the eleven
we ran to tell them, to share with them our joy, our delight,
to invite them into this hope of life renewed with Jesus

Oh, they heard, and some wept,
some wanted to check the grave
on our way out of the city to Galilee,
but on the mountain, they worshipped him
as we had, instinct, intuition, love,
even as some still doubted

And then they, too, were moved to go,
as Jesus commissioned them,
just as he commissioned Mary and Me,
to go –
invite others into life as I have shown you it can be
tell the stories, offer peace
and healing for one, for all,
be with each other as I have been with you
and I will be with you still, and always,
look for me
listen to me
sit and pray and walk and love with me,
I am with you

And so I write to you, my friends,
you who have heard, who have seen,
have understood – or are about to:
enter into life with Jesus again, anew,
each new day.

The joy of this moment in the story–
this hallelujah he is risen –
it will settle in time from these wondrous heights,
will become more quiet some days than it is today

Then – remember, still listen and look;
for the seeds of new life grow in the quiet
darkness of the earth before they burst
into sunlight, don’t they?

New life may seem hidden for a while,
hard to touch, to taste, to find, and then –
remember, your life you have chosen
is hidden, is held, is home
in Jesus the Christ, and he transforms
even death back into life

I will speak more plainly now:
what we experienced, encountering Jesus resurrected
was transformation, was change –
from hopeless to hopeful,
from mourning to dancing,
from the shadow of death to the light of life

and the change within brought change without –

how we saw others around us,
with renewed instinct, intuition, love leading us to reach out
and truly see each other,
to encourage and celebrate gifts and moments and life for each other
to sit beside and share burdens of grief and sorrow and heartbreak
to accompany one who is lonely
to feed one who is hungry
to speak up for one mistreated
to bind the wounds of one who has been hurt

to seek to understand when one has hurt me
to move towards forgiveness for my wellbeing and yours, and ours together
to give when I have more than enough, letting go of the fear that would make me hold on to more

To be still, so as to be present

to move with intent, forward, growing

to listen, to hear, to learn

to speak with compassion, guided by Wisdom

to be at one with all creation, beloved of our Creator

to love, with the lovingkindness of Holy One

to receive love, fully human only together

in these ways, devote yourselves to the Way of Jesus,
of Wisdom, of Love, of Life

Choose life – and be transformed
in your whole being into ever fuller,
ever richer, life, as you follow the call
of the voice of our Jesus,
with us, always, in joy and with hope,
from the darkness, our light,
from death, our life

And now I bid you farewell,
in the peace of Holy One,
embodied in Jesus the Christ
who lived, and died, and rose again,

Amen

(c) Sarah Agnew 2023