Mark 16:1-8

Crown of Thorns, April 24, Easter, West Pier, Brighton, Great Britain -- Mark Barkaw 2007

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.

And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb.

They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?”

When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back.

As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.

But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him.

But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.”

So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to any one, for they were afraid.

John 20:1-18

--Kari Miller Fenwood

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.”

Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb.

The two were running together, but the other disciple outran 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, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that 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; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must 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.”

--Kari Miller Fenwood

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.

Hebrews 10:16-25

Such interesting things in this passage: quotes from the Old Testament prophets, images of temple and sacrifice and blood and water, themes of sin and forgiveness. But with all of that, I found myself most intrigued by the word “provoke” towards the end of the passage—that we as fellow believers are “…to provoke one another….”

Usually “provoke” has a negative slant to it. You provoke someone to violence by annoying, threatening, attacking. You get provoked to anger by someone who gets under your skin, irritates you. But here the idea is just the opposite: “…let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds….” And I’m just thinking that there must be something a bit different here about using “provoke” (rather than a more pleasant and expected word such as “encourage” or “inspire”).

So how about this for an idea. Perhaps sometimes something good that you do will irritate me because it makes me look at myself in an unsettling way. When I hear that you are volunteering at the Community Kitchen, it makes me wonder about how I spend my time. You have provoked me. When I tell you that I’ve contacted an elected official about immigration issues, you might go away wondering about connecting your faith and politics. I have provoked you. When a speaker from Haiti shares with us the dismal reality of poverty and disease entrenched there, she makes it clear that we have resources to be shared. We are provoked.

Sometimes such provoking may be subtle; sometimes more direct and challenging. But for me it points to not being shy about our service, and being open to how others may challenge us to serve in new ways. When the end is “love and good deeds,” then “provoke” can be a means of grace.

So, here’s to abundant provoking! And as the passage concludes, in the wonderful upside down world of faith in Christ, that is in fact a way of “encouraging one another” as we walk in faith together.

—Gordon Wiersma

Exodus 12:1-14

This is a challenging passage for me. This is the God of the Old Testament, the first covenant, although it alludes to the New Covenant with the sacrifice of the blameless lamb so its blood can mark God’s own people. All those firstborn children are collateral damage in God’s conflict with Pharaoh, whose heart, earlier chapters tell us, God Himself is hardening.

How can I square this with the God who tells me that love is the first commandment? What does this contrast between the Old and the New mean to the faith I was raised in, which includes the immutability of God from generation to generation?

I have to accept that faith includes mysteries and look for an understanding of what this passage teaches about that pursuit of faith. First is the importance of mindfulness, of devoting time and attention entirely to remembering and listening for God. Second is the call to give my best to God, giving that is a communal action, not something I do on my own. And third, faith must be active: I don’t always know what it might mean, but I’m called to keep my sandals on, my cloak tucked, and my staff in my hand.

                                                                                 —Lois Maassen

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Painting by Patrick Elwood Kaiser, Early Worship, 1990s

As scissors snip by my ears
gray hairs fall to the floor;
circling me round
like the yellowing leaves
beneath the maple,
or my tears…
Death lurks at every step
and yet I feel the tug of resurrection
as I hope for a grandson’s cure,
for our children’s futures,
and for that Spring when we all shall
sprout and rise and blossom,
into those beings the Creator intended
us to be in the first place.
The story does not end with God’s heart aching
at what has befallen his creation,
hands freshly soiled
from planting his only Seed in the dark tomb,
but with the heavy stone rolled away,
as the risen Lord emerges bringing the light
to tug us toward fullness of life.
Lent is a time to quiet ourselves
and feel that pull.

                           —Martha Kaiser

Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24

--Rachelle Oppenhuizen

Acts 10:34-43

Objects in the mirror are closer
than they appear. I am not beyond the long arm
of God’s grace simply because
of my transgressions.
I can turn away,
I can look askance,
still I cannot hide.
The sparrow, the lily of the field
I am counted as one.
God shows no partiality
Christ died for the sins of all.
I am His
because I believe.
Because I believe
I am His.

                                                               —Audrianne Hill

Mark 15:1-15

We are presented here in Mark with the power of the mob, the people stirred up by those in positions of power among the Jewish people, the chief priests. And we have Pilate, in a position of judgment over Jesus, speaking to the people, saying “But what crime has he committed?” He sought their permission, unable to act on what he knew was just.

Notwithstanding our acceptance that what happened—Jesus’ death—was essential to giving us a way to live, I can’t help but feel despair over Pilate’s inability to act on his own judgment of Jesus, to act on the courage of his convictions.

Pilate was a leader. He made clear his judgment but did not act on it. The chief priests and people, it seems to me, go down in infamy for the horror of their vile use of power. But Pilate is a special case for us to remember. In a most crucial moment in history, he knew and did not act.

                                                                                          —Norma Killilea

Mark 14:1-9

A Lenten Parable in Response to Mark 14:1-9

Breaking an expensive jar of perfume and pouring the precious liquid over Jesus’ head is an extravagant act. The jar is shattered; the precious perfume is soaking into the soil at Jesus’ feet. That perfume is worth over a year’s wages, perhaps $50-$60,000 in today’s economy. That money could build a house for Habitat or feed hundreds of children through World Vision. It could fund the travel of Jesus’ disciplines as they disperse to spread the gospel. Why would Jesus commend a person for this impulsive, irresponsible and wanton act of extravagance?

If the woman could find a jar of perfume worth a year’s wages, she probably was not going to acutely miss the money invested in this gift of perfume; this is not a story of sacrificing self for others.  Moreover, she was not acting to meet another human’s acute needs, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the cold, and healing the sick; this is not a story of compassion or justice for others.

This is a story of loving with abandon, from a place of infinite abundance.

God created the earth with abundance—fruits, vegetables, fish and animals for food; trees, minerals, mud, and wool for comfort. “Go!” God said, “Give with abandon and live in abundance!”

But God’s people could not trust this wealth and hoarded the gifts of survival. At first they were greedy; they wanted more of God’s gifts. Then the people were fearful. Others might take God’s gifts away, and the people would have none. So, they scavenged God’s gifts and hoarded their supplies. When their stores were overflowing and God thought they had nothing to fear, the people found they enjoyed their gifts more when others had less. In some bizarre inversion of God’s plan, the value of God’s gifts increased, it seemed, when people made access to the gifts scarce.  God cried in frustration and despair. Perhaps this is when God kicked Adam and Eve out of the garden of abundance.

But being a God of giving and abundance, God could not turn Adam and Eve’s people out of the garden with no supplies, so God gave the people infinite gifts that never ran out. In a rash act of abandon and abundance, God filled the people with love, mercy, forgiveness and gratitude. “This will teach the people that I will always provide,” declared God, ”for love, mercy, forgiveness and gratitude are by definition endless! At last, the people will learn.”

But alas, the people were slow to learn and the cycle repeated. At first they were greedy; they wanted more love, mercy, forgiveness and gratitude. They tried to coerce others to love them. They transgressed relentlessly and asked for forgiveness again and again and again. They withheld their giving in order to demand greater and greater gratitude. Once again, they became fearful that others would take God’s gifts away and they would have none. They scavenged for love, mercy, forgiveness and gratitude and hoarded their supplies. These gifts were no longer freely given, as love, mercy, forgiveness and gratitude became conditional. When their stores were overflowing and God thought they had nothing to fear, the people found that these gifts, too, were more enjoyable when others had less. They actively deprived their neighbors, their co-workers, even their own families, of love, mercy, forgiveness and gratitude.

And so it was that God sent Christ to pour love, mercy, forgiveness and gratitude over all the earth. But it was not to be. “It is wasteful,” the people shouted. They rebuked him for his extravagance, and hid behind their righteous piety: “Those gifts could be used for the poor.” The people were set in their greedy, fearful, and vindictive ways, and this Christ must die for his wanton extravagance. It was at that time that a nameless woman, who remembered how to give with abandon and live with abundance, broke a jar of perfume and poured it over Christ’s head.  Christ said, ”…wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will be told, in memory of her.”  And so it was that giving with abandon and living with abundance lived on in her memory, for she alone had acted with extravagance before God.

Prayer: Gracious and giving God, help us to use this Lenten season to prepare ourselves for your ultimate gift of abandon and abundance, the gift of Easter. Help us to receive this gift and learn to live our lives pouring out our love, mercy, forgiveness and gratitude with extravagance.  Let us, “Go! Giving with abandon and living with abundance.”

                                                                                 —Deirdre Johnston

Philippians 2:5-11

Praying at Gethsemane, He Qi, 2001. The artist is a professor at the Nanjing Union Theological Seminary and a tutor for master candidate students in the Philosophy Department of Nanjing University. He is also a member of the China Art Association and a council member of the Asian Christian Art Association.

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,

but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form,

he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.

Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name,

so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.