Jesus, Lord of Death

The Gospel is from St. Mark 5:22-23, 35-43:

One of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw Jesus, fell at his feet and begged him repeatedly, "My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live." He went with him. And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him.

Some people came from the leader's house to say, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?" But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, "Do not fear, only believe."

He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. When he had entered, he said to them, "Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping." And they laughed at him.

Then he put them all outside, and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha cum," which means, "Little girl, get up!" And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

The story this week is the latest in a whirlwind series of tales from the life of Jesus. Jesus has – as usual – attracted quite the following upon his return from the Sea of Galilee, and one man in particular has come to him with an urgent request.

Jairus, one of the leaders of the Synagogue, presumably a man of wealth, social prestige, intellect and theological training falls at the feet of Jesus. He begs for the healing of his young daughter, who is on the verge of death. Jesus obliges and the crowd follows.

When they reach the girl, she has passed away, and mourning is already in full swing. Jesus tells them she is not dead, but asleep, and they stop weeping long enough to laugh at him. Shutting the crowd out, Jesus brings only the family to the bedside. He takes Jairus' daughter by the hand and says, “Little girl, get up!” This is a tender expression in Aramaic, something one would say to a child. It is perhaps better translated as, “Get up, sleepyhead!” Jesus then tells them to give her something to eat.

Most psychologists agree that there are several stages an individual goes through when dealing with the death of a loved one, the final being “acceptance.” What a sad truth that is. We eventually give in to resignation. Death is saluted and feared and honored in our society. Back in Jesus' time, there were “professional mourners” whom one could hire to attend the death of a loved one. They were charged with weeping and wailing loudly, making a fuss over the body and presenting an image of true bereavement. If you think they are a relic of the past, watch the burial arrangements for Michael Jackson! Or take a look at the booming funeral business. The reaper, in his black cloak, sits atop a throne we have built for him.

We would do well to remember Jesus' words. “Do not fear, only believe. She is not dead, but sleeping.” We mourn, yes. Of course we mourn and feel deep sadness! However we do not mourn with resignation, but hope.

The Laramie Project is a play that chronicles the brutal murder of Matthew Shepherd. During the funeral scene, stage directions call for the “minister” to read from the Book of Common Prayer, since Matthew was an Episcopalian. Specifically, these words are proclaimed loudly and boldly: “The liturgy for the dead is an Easter liturgy. It finds all its meaning in the resurrection.” A friend of mine, unaware of their origin, later recounted to me that those words moved her the most during the play.

Sometimes we despair about trials and tragedies that seem too big for even God to handle. We, like the crowd, say, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?” The compassion Jesus displays shows that he is not “too busy with the rest of the world” to care for us as individuals. He takes us away from the crowds, gently holds our hand, offers tender words of new life, and sends us on our way with a meal. He loves us – what an extraordinary thought!

The crowds that follow Jesus are often “amazed” at his miracles, but they do not “believe.” Sometimes, we find ourselves “amazed” at the love of God, but never truly internalize it. And that's okay. Even the smallest amount of faith (like a tiny mustard seed) is enough to flourish.

This is true faith, where we are saved by our hope (see also Rom. 8:22-27) rather than an imperfect belief. There is enough faith in the Kingdom of God. And together, we can rejoice and proclaim that Jesus is Lord – of sea and storm, of disease and even death.

Let There Be - Reflections on Earth Day

Friends, this little blue orb is the only one we've got.

Twelve billion years ago, the cosmos exploded with a dictum - "let there be!"

Some three billion years ago, chemistry made the miraculous transfiguration into biology and gasped its first breath.

Some two millennia ago, the Creator's punctured lungs gasped nitrogen and oxygen anew for the second time. Not only from the crib, but the tomb as well.

"See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his people, and God himself will be with them;
he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.’
And the one who was seated on the throne said,
‘See, I am making all things new.’"

God is making all things new, and insists that we participate - to be heirs of his eternal kingdom.

St. Mary Magdalene - July 22nd

Today is the feast day of Mary Magdalene, a woman from modern-day Migdal in northern Israel.

Sometimes referred to as "the Madeleine," mystery and confusion surround her life.

According to Western church tradition, she is the "sinful woman," the sister of Lazarus out of whom Jesus dispelled seven devils. She has been called Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha. In popular Christian culture as a prostitute, she is depicted with long, red unveiled hair.

However, the Church celebrates her feast of July 22nd as the woman "to whom Christ appeared after his resurrection, not as the sister of Saint Martha nor as the sinful woman whose sins the Lord forgave." She is often shown with a vessel of oil, which she used to anoint the Lord's feet, then wiped clean with her hair.

The Eastern church distinguishes between these three persons, stating that Mary had been a virtuous woman her entire life. She was granted her the title, "Equal of the Apostles." She is celebrated as the first witness to the Resurrection. This is significant, because woman were not allowed to be witnesses in legal proceedings. Her witness would have been "illegitimate," and yet Jesus commissioned her to go tell the others of his return. She is also depicted in Eastern iconography with oil, but as a myrrhbearer, one who would anoint the lifeless body of Jesus.

Gnostic texts paint Mary as one having been given a "secret knowledge" by Jesus, of which the other Apostles were jealous. Poor hermeneutic studies of these ancient gospels have led to the claim that perhaps Mary was married to Jesus. The stuff of legends, heresies, and the Da Vinci Code!

So who was this woman? A sinner? A prostitute? Wife of Jesus? Possessed? Apostle to the Apostles? I suppose we'll probably never know, but we do know a few things for sure.


One, she was the first witness to Jesus' resurrection.

Scripture paints a vivid picture of a woman in the gardens of a wealthy man, outside the city. It's a Sunday morning, and the sun has not yet risen. She has come alone. She has a capsule of oil with her. Entering the tomb of her friend, she finds it empty.

Then she loses it.

Can you blame her? She's just given her entire life away to a man who, despite all his promises, is dead. And now even the body was gone. Jesus asks her why she is weeping, but she doesn't recognize him. Finally, he calls her name - and only then does she understand.

Secondly, Mary is a figure of sorrow, of beauty, and of penitence. She is depicted weeping, grasping the foot of the cross in agony, anointing Jesus' feet with her tears.

Is it any surprise then, that I chose Mary as my patron saint? Sure, it's a bit of a faux-paus for a
male to choose a female as his patron, but hey - that's my prerogative as an Anglican!


It's rather easy for me to be sad. Certainly, it's easy for me to believe that "they have taken my Lord away, I do not know where." It's difficult to actually trust promises of resurrection and new life. More often than not, I find myself willing to mourn an empty tomb, while God sneaks up behind me. Even then, it takes calling my name, before I "get it."

We've all been there - some more than others. The good news (no pun intended) is that God indeed sneaks up on us. He takes the oil we've brought for anointing a dead body, and makes it a sacred vessel, for the healing of the sick. He empowers us to run with that message, and go about the business of building God's kingdom.

"O God, when others were ready to condemn Mary Magdalene, Jesus accepted her with all her imperfections. She in turn accepted Your Son as her Saviour. It was to St. Mary Magdalene, before all others, that Jesus committed the message of Easter Joy. Through her intercession may we proclaim Christ as our living Lord, and one day contemplate Him reigning in glory. Amen."

....And Why Don't We Do This??

Beautiful...

Χριστός ανέστη εκ νεκρών,

θανάτω θάνατον πατήσας,

και τοις εν τοις μνήμασι,

ζωὴν χαρισάμενος!

Christ is risen from the dead,

Trampling down death by death,

And upon those in the tombs

Bestowing life!

Speechless

Sometimes you're speechless because you don't have anything to say, or you feel that what you have to say is somehow irrelevant or inadequate, or sometimes you are speechless because silence will say everything.

But right now, I'm speechless because I have so many things I'd like to say, and they're all piling up in the back of my throat and I simply can't speak. So, I will write about this past weekend later, once I've had time to "unpack" all my spiritual baggage.

"Let old wounds be reopened and exposed,
so that a new life and a new Resurrection may begin."


...

....But Today Is Easter!

Christus Resurrexit!

Vere Resurrexit - Alleluia!

"The feeling remains that God is on the journey, too. "
- St. Theresa of Avila

Today is Good Friday

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour;

he has looked with favour on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed;

the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his name.

He has mercy on those who fear him,

from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm

and has scattered the proud in their conceit,

Casting down the mighty from their thrones

and lifting up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good thing

and sent the rich away empty.

He has come to the aid of his servant Israel,

to remember his promise of mercy,

The promise made to our ancestors,

to Abraham and his children for ever.

V.

O my people, what have I done to you?
How have I hurt you? Answer me.

R.

. . .

From East To West: Feast of the Exaltation of the Precious and Lifegiving Cross

"We will see [...] the terrible and mighty second person of the Holy Trinity wrapping himself in flesh, pulling the pain and suffering of humanity about his shoulders. And, though it scratches and burns something awful, that divine being, desperately desiring the reconciliation of a creation that has become estranged, wraps that flesh around him until he begins bleeding in his palms and in his feet.

Because humanity knows the pain of flesh wrapped around you."




The rest of his post is absolutely beautiful - please read it.