John 20:1-18
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.2So 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.”3Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb.4The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.5He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in.6Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there,7and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself.8Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed;9for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.10Then the disciples returned to their homes. 11But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb;12and 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.13They 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.”14When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus.15Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” 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.”16Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher).17Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”18Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.
An Upside-Down Easter Meditation by Parker J. Palmer
Years ago, I stumbled upon a little book by Julia Esquivel-the Guatemalan poet and social justice activist-titled Threatened with Resurrection. Those few words had a huge impact on me.
I'd been taught that death is the great threat and resurrection the great hope. But at the time I found Esquivel's book, I was experiencing the death-in-life called depression. Her title jarred me into the hard realization that figurative forms of death sometimes feel comforting--while resurrection, or the hope of new life, feels threatening.
Why? Because death-in-life can bring us a perverse sense of relief. When I was depressed, nobody expected anything of me, nor did I expect anything of myself. I was exempt from life's demands and risks. But if I were to find new life, who knows what daunting tasks I might be required to take on?
Sometimes we choose dead-in-life (as in compulsive over activity, unhealthy relationships, non-stop judgmentalism aimed at self or others, work that compromises our integrity, substance abuse, pervasive cynicism, etc.), because we're afraid of the challenges that might come if we embraced resurrection-in-life.
Every religious tradition is rooted in mysteries I don't pretend to understand, including claims about what happens when we die. But this I know for sure: as long as we're alive, choosing resurrection is always worth the risk. I'm grateful for the people and experiences that continue to help me to embrace "the threat of resurrection."
My Easter wish for everyone is the ability to say "YES" to life. Even when life challenges us, it's a gift beyond all measure...
Lord, as we awaken again to find the tomb empty, may we hear the voice of the angel reminding us that Christ is risen indeed! May the gift of resurrection-in-life be born in us today. Amen.
An Upside-Down Easter Meditation by Parker J. Palmer
Years ago, I stumbled upon a little book by Julia Esquivel-the Guatemalan poet and social justice activist-titled Threatened with Resurrection. Those few words had a huge impact on me.
I'd been taught that death is the great threat and resurrection the great hope. But at the time I found Esquivel's book, I was experiencing the death-in-life called depression. Her title jarred me into the hard realization that figurative forms of death sometimes feel comforting--while resurrection, or the hope of new life, feels threatening.
Why? Because death-in-life can bring us a perverse sense of relief. When I was depressed, nobody expected anything of me, nor did I expect anything of myself. I was exempt from life's demands and risks. But if I were to find new life, who knows what daunting tasks I might be required to take on?
Sometimes we choose dead-in-life (as in compulsive over activity, unhealthy relationships, non-stop judgmentalism aimed at self or others, work that compromises our integrity, substance abuse, pervasive cynicism, etc.), because we're afraid of the challenges that might come if we embraced resurrection-in-life.
Every religious tradition is rooted in mysteries I don't pretend to understand, including claims about what happens when we die. But this I know for sure: as long as we're alive, choosing resurrection is always worth the risk. I'm grateful for the people and experiences that continue to help me to embrace "the threat of resurrection."
My Easter wish for everyone is the ability to say "YES" to life. Even when life challenges us, it's a gift beyond all measure...
Lord, as we awaken again to find the tomb empty, may we hear the voice of the angel reminding us that Christ is risen indeed! May the gift of resurrection-in-life be born in us today. Amen.
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