John 20:1-9
Lead in: The story of that first Easter is familiar to us. On seeing that the tomb was empty, Mary Magdala runs back to tell the disciples. Peter and John immediately take off toward the tomb. Running neck and neck, John pulls away from the huffing Peter and arrives at the tomb first. But he stops at the entrance of the tomb because he’s afraid to go in.
Prompt: Reflect on a time when you stopped short of something you felt called to do because you were too afraid to go any further. What did you learn from that?
Lead in: Easter is one of the great reversal stories of all time. By all appearances, Jesus’ life had ended in utter failure. His followers had all abandoned him. This once great miracle worker was now the laughingstock of the town. Ladened with a cross, the crowds mocked and jeered as he stumbled his way up the hill to Calvary. Nailed to a cross, it looked like he had died in vain. But, three days later came the empty tomb. As Paul puts it in Ephesians 3:18, “God had accomplished what the disciples could not begin to comprehend.”
Prompt: Reflecting on your own life’s journey, what great reversals has God accomplished in your life?
Lead in: “On the first day of the week, Mary Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning when it was still dark”. (John 20:1) In John’s Gospel, darkness can indicate the struggle involved in coming to faith. After Jesus’ execution on the cross, the bewildered followers of Jesus, including Mary Magdala and the disciples, knew well the struggle of uncertainty.
Prompt: Reflect on a time when the darkness of uncertainty gave way to a faith that assured you that all would be well despite the uncertainty that still remained.
Lead in: It was Mary of Magdala who first discovered the empty tomb. Running to the apostles to report this astonishing news to them, she in effect becomes an apostle to the apostles. Thus, from the very beginning, the egalitarian nature of the church was set in motion. Paul puts it this way in Galatians 3:18, “There is neither Greek nor Jew, slave or free man, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” In effect, as God’s beloved daughters and sons we all stand as equals.
Prompt: If Mary Magdala is recognized as an apostle, what implications does Paul’s assertion have for the church today?
Lead in: The sadness of Jesus’ Good Friday turned into the joy of Easter Resurrection.
Prompt: As you reflect on your life, do you have a Good Friday that turned into the joy of an Easter Resurrection?
