1 Easter Sunday Year C 2013 Denver, Colorado Pastor Dena Williams John 20:118 The Holy Gospel according

to the community of St. John in the 20th Chapter Glory to you, O Lord 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.
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Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went towards

the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple out ran 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 running, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that

2 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 Mary Magdalenes story, but as yet they did not understand the scripture, that Jesus would rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes. But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, Woman, why are you weeping? She said to them, They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him. When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, Woman, why are you weeping? For whom are you looking? Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.

3 Jesus said to her, Mary! She turned and said to him in Hebrew,* Rabbouni! (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and sisters and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God. Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, I have seen the Lord; and she told them that he had said these things to her. The Gospel of the Lord Praise to you, O Christ I Have Seen the Lord I love the story of Mary Magdalene, Apostle. It was with pleasure that I read and studied about this saint over the last couple weeks. I love her story. I believe she has a message for us today in our congregation. I believe she has a message for our world. Have you heard that whole business about Mary Magdalene? Have you heard the legend that she was a prostitute? Well, thats all it isa legend. Nowhere in the Bible is there any indication that Mary Magdalene was a woman of ill repute. To the contrary, various Gospel stories portray her as someone Jesus healed, as a devout follower of Jesus, as someone who followed him all the way to the cross and the grave, with unwavering faith.

4 Seems that through the ages, there has been some MSU-ing, some making-stuff-up about Mary Magdalene. All that MSU-ing resurfaced a few years ago with Dan Browns novel, The Da Vinci Code. He wrote that Mary Magdalene was the wife of Christ and that she bore him a daughter. Well, that was news to Biblical scholars. There is no Biblical evidence to that effect. In Dan Browns defense, however, he wrote a novel, a book of fiction, not a history or even a Bible study. And he wrote a pretty exciting story. The reaction to Browns novel was startling. Literally, hundreds of books have been written in response, refuting or supporting his fictional story. A more positive outcome has been a renewed interest in the Gospel story found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. I was pastor at St. Andrew when The Da Vinci Code was published. People who had never before expressed any interest whatsoever in Bible Study suddenly wanted to know more. I found an article in a magazine that explained pretty well Mary Magdalenes role in the Gospels. We made a few copies and put them on a table in a narthex. They disappeared quickly. We made more copies. They disappeared as well. I taught an Adult Bible Study class on Mary Magdalene and folks who didnt even know where the class usually met showed up in droves! Ahh! A little scandal goes a long way, doesnt it?! Lets look at the Mary Magdalene we find in todays reading from the resurrection story in Johns Gospel. In all the other Gospels,

5 Mary Magdalene has the company of other women at the tomb, but not in John. She comes alone to the tomb. There is no indication in John that she has come to anoint Jesus body. As a matter of fact, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea already anointed Jesus body before placing it in the tomb. In that case, what are you doing here Mary? Why have you come to the place where they laid him? Why have you arisen before the sun and come to the place of the dead to stand outside the tomb of Jesus? Mary finds an empty tomb and the story of the great foot race begins. Mary runs to tell Simon Peter and another disciple. They run toward the tomb. The other disciple outruns Simon Peter. They look in the tomb, they look in the empty tomb and believe Mary Magdalenes story. Someone has taken the body of Jesus away. Simon Peter and the other disciple return home?! Not Mary. Mary stands, weeping, outside the tomb, overcome with grief and loss. She stands weeping. She looks inside the tomb again. She sees two angels there. They ask her why she weeps. They have taken my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him. She turns around. A man is standing there. He asks her, as well,

6 Why do you weep? Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away. Simon Peter and the other disciple return home, but Mary, Mary Magdalene looks for Jesus body. Only Mary is left at the empty tomb, only she will not leave until she finds his body. Jesus says to her, Mary! She recognizes Jesus and calls him teacher. He tells her not to linger, but to go and tell the others that he will go to God. So, Mary Magdalene goes and announces to the disciples, I have seen the Lord. I have seen the Lord. Weve talked a lot recently about evangelism, how we are called to share the good news of Gods love with all people, with no other motive than that to share the love of God. Weve talked about how we are all called to evangelism, even bashful Lutherans, we are called to share the story of Jesus with others. Weve practiced how to bring Gods love into our conversations with others. Weve heard many stories from one another about how, during the week, we practiced the evangelism to which we are called. And we are all called . . . with one exception, there is a way out of the call. There is one single excuse for not sharing Jesus with others, for not intentionally bringing Gods love into our conversations.

7 Are you listening now? I know you are! Your ears perked up! We tend to be cautious people. We dont want to impose our faith on others, we say. We dont want to be a nuisance. So, now youre telling us theres a way out? A way to refrain from sharing our faith, a way out of sharing Gods love? Theres a reason, an excuse not to? Please tell us! You are NOT called to share Gods love, if you have never EXPERIENCED Gods love. If you never experience the comfort of Gods presence when you are lonely or afraid or sad. If you never experience the joy of Gods presence in a loved ones smile, the radiance of a young person, in celebration with your community of faith. If you never experience the awe of Gods presence at the birth of a baby, human or otherwise, beside a rushing mountain stream, in the colors of a sunset. If you have NEVER experienced Gods love, you are NOT called to share Gods love. But if you have, you are. Each of us experience Gods comfort, Gods joy, Gods majesty and beauty. Each of us experience Gods presence, Gods forgiveness and love. Each of us, then, with Mary Magdalene, each of us is called to proclaim, I have seen the Lord.

8 Amen