Easter Sunday!

Responding to Resurrection
Mark 16:1-8

[I'm not preaching a sermon today. Instead, I'm doing an interactive sermon with the congregation. Here are some thoughts and questions for you to ponder.]

Mark's gospel ends abruptly. We read that Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, & Salome came to the tomb where Jesus had been laid following his crucifixion just days before and when they got there the stone was rolled away. A "young man" told them that Jesus was not there; that he had risen. He then instructed the women to go and tell the disciples. (Never mind that the women were "disciples.") According to Mark, they ran away in fear and told no one. And that's where Mark's gospel ends; in fear and silence. (There are two other endings of Mark's gospel that have the resurrected Jesus making an appearance and the women telling the story. But this abrupt, fearful, silent ending is considered to be Mark's original ending; it is older and more verified.)

Why do you suppose the women were afraid? Of what were they afraid? Of whom? Why did Mark leave us hanging there? What were the women feeling? How did those feelings affect their actions?

Given Mark's ending, the telling of the story is left to us, the reader. So we join with those of the Christian faith throughout the centuries who have read Mark's gospel, ending in fear and silence. How are we to pick up the instruction of the young man to "go, tell"? Is it our charge now to go forth and tell the story of resurrection, rebirth, & renewal? How can we tell the story? St. Francis is quoted as saying, "Always preach the gospel. Use words when necessary." How can we tell the story of resurrection without words? How do we overcome our fear & amazement and cajole ourselves into telling the story to those around us, our fellow 21st century dwellers? What story would you tell about resurrection?

Many blessings to you on this Easter 2009! Tell the story...take up the charge to the two Marys and Salome.

© Gerry Brague, 12 April 2009
Picture © Allen Foster, 10 April 2009
San Francisco, CA

Stories

Newsletter article, 21 January 2009

There is definitely excitement in the air following Tuesday's inaugural celebrations. Millions of people descended on Washington D.C. to be part of the history while millions upon millions more of us watched or listened over the radio, television, or internet.

There was a very human moment, in the midst of all the pomp and ceremony when, during the swearing of the oath of office, there was a mix up of the words between Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts and President Obama. It was nothing major but I heard on the radio that the oath swearing was repeated later on to make sure they got it right; there was no leaving of anything to chance. I also heard that this had happened in the past; a second swearing in ceremony had to take place because the words weren't repeated exactly as they are laid down in the U.S. Constitution.

This mindset, strict adherence to an exacting way of looking at things, has all too often been brought into our faith world as Christians make the Bible a rule book with a precision that severs out those who don't agree with a particular telling of the Story. At the retreat last weekend, we talked about the richness of reading the Bible with Story in mind. Stories are not exacting or demanding. They allow flow and changes and even contradictions to be coexist within them. Stories do not deny rules and often contain them. But Story recognizes that words and images are heard differently by different people.

Stories, our stories, come from all parts of our lives: from the excitement and awe that welled up within us as our nation's 44th president stood before all those millions of people to the very personal tales of how our faith has held us and enriched us. Tell a story; make sure your story is told; listen to others' stories. Know that God resides within them.

Pace e Bene,
Gerry