Resurrection - Week 1
LIBERATION LECTIONARY
Resurrection Season: Women Bearing Witness
“Even if you are not ready for day, it cannot always be night. You will be right.”
From “Speech to the Young”, by Gwendolyn Brooks
Archetypes Series by Jaurice Moore
Reflection: Women Bearing Witness
How do we see the women who came first to Jesus’s tomb on the third day after his death? Are they stately or sorrowful, sure of themselves or uncertain of every step? Through the gospels, six different women were said to have been present at the tomb of Jesus: Salome is probably the mother of James and John. Mark’s gospel places her at the tomb. Mary, the wife of Clopas, might have been a sister-in-law to Jesus’s mother Mary. Mary the mother of James and Joses. Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of Jesus are all recorded as appearing at the tomb in one of the four gospels.
There’s no way to confirm which women were at the tomb, and whether any of these women were not present. But each gospel writer intends to make it plain: women were the first witnesses to be entrusted with the gospel.
These women are the first to bear witness to the wonder of Resurrection, the faithful few who push through fear. Reasonable fear indeed, for the same powers that put Jesus to death were convinced that his followers would attempt to steal his body in order to establish his legend of living again.
Whether they came trembling in grief or anxiety, they were set on their duties, they brought their tools, set the meeting time and place, and were ready for the task. And when they saw Jesus, their vocations shifted. Their tools had to be traded and other tasks put on hold. The Resurrection asks us to be prepared, as well as to be flexible, and it empowers us to do both. Notice there is no guilt or shame applied with the message of Jesus’s return to life after execution. Though Jesus had told his followers he would see them again, no one who witnessed or heard about his trial, torture and crucifixion could be called a failure for not seeing the situation as final. Clinging to hope and remaining steadfast without some worry is simply so rare. Searching for silver linings in storm clouds can be a discouraging process.
These women had witnessed months - and possibly a few years - watching church leaders, neighbors and strangers disrespect and dismiss their beliefs. They witnessed Jesus answer countless critiques. They saw the same people who praised Jesus turn on him, and they watched Jesus speak peace and freedom, community over condemnation even for the people who sought to condemn him.
Whatever the reason that kept the women from believing that they would not need to anoint a lifeless body, it did not keep Jesus from making the last witnesses to the pain of Christ, the first witnesses to the power of new life. Every curse that felt like death was reversed with new life’s blessing.
Every hurt they felt from Jesus being hated was reversed by an overwhelming love for the King who came back to life. Their hearts and minds had to change course, they had to shift their mindset, from an expectation to witness pain, to an experience of fulfilled promise. This is the message of Easter - your hurts are being healed.
Everything that hurts will be healed.
These women who had been waiting were now women bearing witness to the resurrected Jesus. This witness gave them a new way of life. Though we don’t know how long we have to wait to see everything that is hurting be healed, or to see everything that is dying, live again, we know that when we are waiting we can prepare. Just like Joanna and Mary and Salome, we can come trembling or sure. We can come to our tasks whether we are doubtful or hopeful. And we can serve faithfully by staying prepared, while also being flexible by holding our own certainty more loosely than we hold our spirituality. God’s power, the Savior’s promise, and the Spirit’s presence, these are our anchors in the waiting. These are our reasons for bearing witness. They are bringing us healing for all of our hurts, in order to make us witnesses to Resurrection life.
Daily Readings
Sunday: 1 Peter 1. 3-4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.
Monday: John 20.1-10 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
Archetypes Series
So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.
Tuesday: John 20.11-18 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.
Wednesday: John 20.19-22 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Thursday: John 20.24-25 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
Friday: John 20.26-29 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Saturday: John 20.30-31 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Listen - Resurrection Season Playlist
Meditate & Pray
“And who shall separate the dust - What later we shall be: whose keen discerning eye will scan and solve the mystery? Can one then separate the dust? Will mankind lie apart, When life has settled back again - The same as from the start.” From “Common Dust” by Georgia Douglas Johnson
Lord you said that you are the living word, the bread of life, the way by which we walk, and the fruit by which we stay nourished. Now you have seen fit to make us your witnesses. You have asked us to believe your witnesses, and you have given us a word for your world. We need your nourishment today and everyday, so that the message of Resurrection is the substance of hope and healing in every place that has been hurt.