This sermon was
prepared for presentation on July 22, the Feast Day for Mary Magdalene. Pastor Jim’s sermon text is John 20:18, “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.”
Dear Friends in Christ,
Today we remember Mary Magdalene, a remarkable woman in the
early church, a wonderful witness to the good news of Jesus’ resurrection.
At Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Warrenton, Virginia,
today, the services are being led by women only in recognition of the vital
role of women in the church today.
Pastor Debbie Frye is the pastor there and graduated from seminary with
Pastor Carol 10 years ago.
The church I grew up in did not have women in major
leadership roles, especially not at worship.
Only boys were acolytes. There
were no women pastors. It was not until
I was in high school that I can remember women being on the Church
Council. I am thankful to God for
opening up His Church, so that we can say today that this church is open
equally to leadership and service by
women and men. I am grateful that
the limiting church of my childhood isn’t even a memory for many of our
children and youth.
Who was Mary Magdalene?
What do we know about her? The
Bible tells us that she was from Galilee, probably from the village of Magdala
on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.
Magdala not longer exists, only a few foundation stones remain. The gospel writer Luke tells us that on
Jesus’ Galilean Mission, Jesus and the
12 disciples were accompanied by several women, including Mary Magdalene, who
had been cured of seven demons; Joanna,
the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod’s household; and Susanna and many
others. These women were helping to support them out of their means.
It is interesting to note that Jesus and the disciples did
not support themselves by miracles.
Rather, they received support from grateful people, including Mary
Magdalene.
Mary is mentioned is all 4 gospels. She was present for some of the central occasions
in Jesus’ life, particularly his death on the cross, his burial, and his
resurrection appearance. In the new
hymnal of our ELCA, Mary is given the title, “Apostle to the Apostles.” We borrowed that title from an early
Christian leader, Bernard of Clairvaux.
This title helps us remember what honor was given her by Jesus at the
time of his resurrection. You heard the
story in today’s gospel reading.
She went to the tomb early on Easter morning, expecting to
anoint the dead body with oil. She found
an empty tomb. She reported this to the
disciples and they came running to see for themselves, not believing her
tale. Then she encountered someone she
at first mistook for the gardener, but soon learned it was the risen
Jesus. Jesus then sent her to tell the
disciples the good news, so that they would know and be able to tell
others. This is why she has the
appropriate title, Apostle to the Apostles.
The title “apostle” means “one who is sent.” She was sent by Jesus for a purpose and with
a message.
Much of Mary’s life and ministry are a mystery to us
today. We don’t really know more for
sure than what I have told you.
Unfortunately, Mary has been associated with the unnamed reformed
prostitute in Luke, the one who crashed the dinner party to anoint Jesus’
feet. It was Pope Gregory I (560-604)
who got creative in a sermon and declared that Mary was the forgiven and
reformed prostitute. I was even taught
that in Sunday School. That’s
unfortunate because it has no biblical basis.
Recently The Da Vinci Code (both Dan Brown’s book and
Ron Howard’s movie) have introduced interesting speculation about who Mary
might have been, but that’s pure
fiction, not based on any reliable sources.
One of the books that did not get into the official canon
that is now our Bible is the second-century Gospel of Mary. It was discovered in 1945 at Nag Hammadi in
Upper Egypt. We have fragments only of
this book, but the writing reveals a lost tradition about the leadership of
Mary Magdalene and portrays Peter as her opponent in this leadership.
This book may not be “official,” but it is a good read. I like one of the scenes that is described
because of the light it sheds on the role of this one called the “apostle to
the apostles.” The scene took place on
the Mount of the Ascension after Jesus had departed into heaven. The disciples were disconsolate, depressed,
and afraid until Mary stood up and addressed them all. She exhorted them to stop grieving, assured
them that the grace of the Savior would be with them, and urged them to prepare
for the work of preaching to which they had been called. Finally, the disciples took heart and began
to discuss the teachings of the Savior.
I believe that could have happened, for in every congregation
I have served, I have found that the gift of exhortation (encouragement) is
present, and often times this gift has been given to one or more women.
What then do we remember this day about Mary Magdalene? She is a primary witness for the fundamental
fact of our Christian proclamation, she was with Jesus and the disciples on the
Galilean Mission and so heard his preaching and teaching and witnessed his
miracles, she saw his death, standing at the foot of the cross, she witnessed
his burial, and she saw his first resurrection appearance.
Mary prompts us here today to be witnesses, to tell others
how we have been encountered by Jesus.
May we never refrain from saying too, “I have seen the Lord!”
Amen,