Monday, April 14, 2014

Resurrection of the Lord (A), April 20, 2014 - Matthew 28:1-10


Henry Ossawa Tanner: The Three Marys (1910)
Fisk University Galleries

I sang a piece once
(Bach? Handel? Mozart? You tell me)
where, late in the piece,
the Gloria Patri -
"Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost,
as it was in the beginning..."
has the same music as the opening of the piece.
Get it? Pretty clever, we singers all thought.

Thus we come to Matthew:
"Do not be afraid;
go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee;
there they will see me."
Why Galilee?
Why, it's back to the beginning, of course.
Back where the ministry started.
Do you want to see the risen Jesus?
Go back to his healing, his forgiving, his inviting
everyone into the kingdom of God.
That's where you'll see him.
Read the story again. Live it each day.

Get it? Pretty clever, isn't he?

Scott L. Barton
(The idea that "Galilee" means going back to the beginning comes from Tom Long in a Christian Century article, April 4, 2006.)

After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, 'He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.' This is my message for you." So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

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