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Morning Meditation
April 7, 2026
Reading: John 20:11-18
Mary Magdalene 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? 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." 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 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.
Meditation by Glenn Beamer
When I discovered today’s passage in the lectionary, I wholeheartedly welcomed the opportunity to reflect upon Mary Magdelene’s experience with the resurrected Jesus. In the 21 months that I’ve been writing meditation, I’ve become increasingly aware of the male-centric focus of my thoughts and writing .I’ve highlighted men ranging from Presidents Truman & Ford to the theologian Henri Nouwen to the 9/11 hero Welles Crowther but said sparingly little about so many extraordinary women of faith. I am working to change that.
The church school kids have noticed the male-centric nature of our scriptures. We’ve discussed that exactly two out of thirty-nine Old Testament books are named for women – Esther and Ruth. There aren’t any New Testament books named for women.
One Sunday, we had an unexpected discussion about why there wasn’t a woman equivalent to Saint Paul. A woman who followed Jesus early and worked diligently to develop and spread the Christian faith. I did my best to suggest that the early church founders such as Paul and Augustine undoubtedly worked with and relied on women but women’s learning and social status in the first centuries were seriously constrained. We are poorer for not knowing more about women’s faith and contributions to our churches.
John’s passage gives us a perception of Mary Magdelene’s deep faith and genuine courage. Her grief is palpable when she discovers Jesus’ body is gone from the tomb. Rather than transform into sentimental joy when Jesus engages her, she overcomes her fear and with a mix of courage and commitment leaves to tell the male disciples, who haven’t come to tend the grave as she had. Rather than view Mary Magdeline as dutifully faithful, we could back up a bit and ask why she, and none of the remaining disciples volunteered to tend Jesus’ grave. We could see her as genuinely courageous after the indignity Jesus suffered and the cruelty the Roman guards inflicted upon him as he died on the cross.
If we believe God has imparted distinct and unique gifts to each person on earth, then we have a duty in faith to discern and receive his gifts through others, regardless of gender, orientation, ethnicity or age. For two millennia we have witnessed groups encounter denials of their gifts through acts ranging from dismissal to elimination. Our job is twofold. First, to take seriously our call to host everyone we encounter such that we provide a place where God’s gifts in them can become known to us. Second, to understand that a fairly small number of individuals have shaped our perceptions about the church’s historical journey through their writing. Knowing that these individuals’ perceptions were shaped by their place in their cultures is to acknowledge the truth, not to shame them or diminish their contributions.
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