Easter Sunday
he Lord be with you!
It is Easter and the color is white. During the season of Easter, we celebrate the mystery that Jesus died and that God made him alive again.
This is one of the stories, that tells how Jesus’ friends know he is alive again. It is in Mark chapter 16:1-11; and versions of the story are also in Matthew 27:57-28:10, Luke 24:1-12 and John 20:1-18. Sometimes the disciples cannot believe that Jesus is alive. But Jesus is alive. Here is the tomb, a special place for the dead.
When Jesus died, Joseph of Arimathea put Jesus’ body in the tomb and rolled a huge stone in front of the opening. Very early, on Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James and Salome, went to the tomb with spices to anoint Jesus’ body, “Who will roll away the stone for us?” they wondered. But when they looked up the tomb was open.
They went in. Jesus was gone! Then they saw an angel wearing a white robe.
He said, “Do not be afraid. Jesus is alive. Go and tell the disciples and Peter that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee, just as he said. Meet him there.”
They were amazed and fled from the tomb. They were afraid to tell anyone. Now an amazing thing had happened. God had raised Jesus from the dead. God had made Jesus alive again. And as Mary Magdalene started walking on the path away from the tomb, Jesus was there. The very first person, Jesus appeared to was Mary Magdalene. They talked and she was no longer afraid and she told her friends, “Jesus is alive and I saw him.” I wonder why Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene first?
