Sermon 6—Easter Sunday

Sermon 6—Easter Sunday

Today is Easter. My original plan for an Easter sermon was to amalgamate some previous Easter sermons into one presentation; but then it struck me that my next Gospel of Philip sermon was going to be on Mary Magadalene, and I recalled that I have always taken a keen interest in Mary Magdalene’s role in the Resurrection story —in fact, I wrote an Easter anthem, many years ago in California, that recounted Mary’s experience at the tomb. I will read the text of that anthem at the end of this presentation. In the meantime, I have decided to present some material on Mary Magdalene, some of it from The Gospel of Philip, and some of it from various internet sources. 

But first let us review the story as told in The Gospel of John:

Gospel of John 20 

1 Now on the first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, while it was yet dark, unto the tomb, and seeth the stone taken away from the tomb.
2 She runneth therefore, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we know not where they have laid him.
3 Peter therefore went forth, and the other disciple, and they went toward the tomb.
4 And they ran both together: and the other disciple outran Peter, and came first to the tomb;
5 and stooping and looking in, he seeth the linen cloths lying; yet entered he not in.
6 Simon Peter therefore also cometh, following him, and entered into the tomb; and he beholdeth the linen cloths lying,
7 and the napkin, that was upon his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but rolled up in a place by itself.
8 Then entered in therefore the other disciple also, who came first to the tomb, and he saw, and believed.
9 For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.
10 So the disciples went away again unto their own home.
11 But Mary was standing without at the tomb weeping: so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb;
12 and she beholdeth two angels in white sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
13 And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.
14 When she had thus said, she turned herself back, and beholdeth Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.
15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou hast borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.
16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turneth herself, and saith unto him in Hebrew, Rabboni; which is to say, Teacher.
17 Jesus saith to her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended unto the Father: but go unto my brethren, and say to them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and my God and your God.
18 Mary Magdalene cometh and telleth the disciples, I have seen the Lord; and that he had said these things unto her.” 

Thus the most significant point I can make all morning is that Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene, not Peter, not John. I believe this is not a random accident, but a purposeful act, the first act performed by the risen Christ. The significance of Mary Magdalene has been vastly underestimated, as I hope I will be able to show.

Now we will begin our review of published material on the subject. This quote from a Wikipedia survey recapitulates the conventional wisdom concerning Mary:

“Mary Magdalene (/ˈmæɡdələn/ Hebrew: מרים המגדלית‎‎, original Biblical Greek: Μαρία ἡ Μαγδαληνή), literally translated as Mary the Magdalene or Mary of Magdala, is a figure in Christianity who, according to the Bible, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers. She is said to have witnessed Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. Within the four Gospels she is named at least 12 times, more than most of the apostles. Based on texts of the early Christian era in the third century, it seems that her status as an “apostle" rivals even Peter's.

The Gospel of Luke says seven demons had gone out of her, and the longer ending of Mark says Jesus had cast seven demons out of her. She is most prominent in the narrative of the crucifixion of Jesus, at which she was present. She was also present two days later, immediately following the sabbath, when, according to all four canonical Gospels, she was, either alone or as a member of a group of women, the first to testify to the resurrection of Jesus. John 20 and Mark 16:9 specifically name her as the first person to see Jesus after his resurrection.

Ideas that go beyond the gospel presentation of Mary Magdalene as a prominent representative of the women who followed Jesus have been put forward over the centuries.”

There are many possible ways to consider Jesus’ choice to reveal Himself first to Mary. There many opinions about Jesus’ relationship to Mary; some merely refer to a penitent sinner who joined Jesus’ traveling entourage, some attribute Christlike attributes to Mary Herself, and some make Mary Jesus’ wife and mother of His offspring. Some of this speculation is mere historical nosiness, and some of it is significant.

The following is a lengthy excerpt from The Mystery of Mary Magdalene by Robert Powell. Powell has done an enormous amount of purely scientific anthropological research to establish precise dates for events in the life of Jesus; however many of Powell’s biographical details are based on the recorded visions of a 19^th century German nun, named Sister Emmerich—visions which could hardly be called scientific, but which, when viewed in context, make a lot of sense. This text presents many controversial ideas which I will not attempt to affirm or refute; it is given because of its intrinsic interest, and because of its relationship to other material we will examine below:

“Mary Magdalene was the sister of Martha and Lazarus, and grew up in the family castle in Bethany, just northeast of Jerusalem. This is also where Lazarus was later raised from the dead by Jesus Christ. Mary Magdalene was the youngest of four children and was very beautiful. Her family was considered to be quite wealthy. Lazarus had inherited from his father and shared his wealth with his three sisters. The third sister was referred to as Silent Mary who, in modern terminology, would be called developmentally delayed or mentally ill. She did not speak but had profound inner visions. She died at a relatively early age on April 8 in c.e. 30, about six months after the ministry of Christ began on September 23 in 29 c.e., the day of the Baptism in the Jordan.  

Already by that time, Mary Magdalene was living in her own castle on the southwest shore of the Sea of Galilee in the town of Magdala, referred to by Sister Emmerich as Magdalum, located a few miles north of Tiberius. Being wealthy and beautiful she enjoyed life and, correspondingly, lived the “high life.” This was a great source of concern for her brother Lazarus and sister Martha, both of whom had in the meantime become disciples of Jesus of Nazareth. There had been links between the family of Lazarus and the Holy Family for a long time, even before Jesus was born, as the woman (her name was Noemi) who had looked after the Virgin Mary when she was a Temple virgin, was an aunt of Lazarus (she was the sister of Lazarus’s mother). Lazarus and Martha recognized Jesus as the Messiah, and did everything that they could to support him. 

In fact, Lazarus played an extraordinarily important role in the life of Christ. He was effectively the “patron” of Christ. It is well known that Jesus did a lot to help the poor by often distributing bread and other food—and sometimes money—to the poor when he went somewhere. Where did this abundance come from? Jesus himself had nothing. It was made possible through the support of Lazarus and Martha, who took care of the needs not only of Jesus but also of his disciples. As we can see from the fact that he was raised from the dead later, Lazarus was what we would nowadays call an initiate, someone who had attained an extraordinary level of spiritual development, endowed with remarkable suprasensory gifts. It is not too farfetched to call him the spiritual brother of Jesus. Reading between the lines, this is what is indirectly stated in chapter 11 of the Gospel of John with the words: “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.” The use of the word loved points to a special bond that Jesus had with this family. This bond offers us a key to understanding the relationship that Jesus had with Lazarus and also with Mary Magdalene. 

Mary Magdalene’s wild life was a source of great concern to Lazarus and Martha. They were praying for guidance as to how to go about introducing their sister to Jesus. Then one day Martha received guidance to go to Mary because she knew that Jesus was going to be teaching in the area of Magdala, in a place called Gabara— northwest of Tiberius—not far from the Sea of Galilee. Martha managed to persuade her sister to come and hear Jesus preach on a hill near Gabara on November 8, 30 c.e. Mary came with an attitude of curiosity to see the new prophet, but not with any sense of belief.  She came dressed in her finest clothes and she brought some friends who enjoyed living it up with her. However, while Jesus was speaking she had an extraordinary experience. We have to remember that when he spoke, his words had great power, possessing a strength that would move people, affecting them even down into their physical body. Mary became riveted by everything Jesus said, to the point that— and this is an event that is difficult for us to understand—Jesus cast a demon out from Mary Magdalene. In modern terminology we would probably call it some kind of psychological complex, but in those days it was said that the person was possessed by a demon.” 

[Sidebar: We are cutting the next paragraph; it contains a lot of astrological synchronicities which are interesting in the way they connect the career of Jesus with certain pre-existing mythological prophecies, but have little to do with Mary Magdalene.

Back to Powell:] 

“This event in the life of Mary Magdalene on November 8, 30 c.e., occurred a little more than a year after the Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan, which had taken place on September 23, 29 c.e. Five days later, on November 13, 30 c.e., Jesus came to the town of Nain and raised a twelve-year-old boy from the dead. This event of the raising from the dead of the youth of Nain is described in the Gospel of Luke. There were many other miracles Jesus performed around the time of his encounter with Mary Magdalene, when he cast out a demon from her. The following words spoken by Christ apply to her: “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he passes through waterless places seeking rest; and finding none, he says: ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes he finds it swept and put in order. Then he goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state becomes worse than the first” (Luke 11:24). In fact, this is exactly what happened. Mary Magdalene did have a relapse; for she returned to her former lifestyle and become possessed again, this time by seven demons.” 

[Sidebar: Remember this is precisely the same demonic behavior we saw in The Gospel of Thomas, when the demon said he would go away for a while and then come back and re-possess (as it were) the single unmarried woman. Those demons are so slimy and so dumb!

Back to Powell:]

“Martha and Lazarus, who witnessed this, were of course now deeply concerned and kept praying for guidance as to what to do. This new condition lasted for almost exactly seven weeks. (Again and again we find this period of seven weeks in the life of Christ. For instance, Pentecost came seven weeks after the Resurrection.) 

Seven weeks after the encounter with Jesus at Gabara, on December 26, 30 c.e., Martha again managed to persuade Mary Magdalene to come and hear Jesus speak, this time in a place called Azanoth, a few miles northwest of Gabara. On this occasion Jesus cast out all seven demons, as described in great detail by Sister Emmerich, and as is referred to briefly also in the Gospel: “Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out” (Luke 8:2). This was a kind of initiation. It was a freeing and opening of all seven of Mary Magdalene’s chakras. Through this initiation, she became the first fully redeemed soul. 

This was, of course, an event of great importance in the life of Mary Magdalene. Something truly extraordinary had taken place through which she was able more and more to find her true calling. Just as her brother, Lazarus, was a high initiate, so was Mary Magdalene in her own right a great initiate, having received her initiation from Christ, who opened her seven chakras. 

After he had cast out the demons, Jesus advised Mary Magdalene to stay in the company of the Virgin Mary. Just as Jesus himself had a circle of disciples, who were all men— remembering that it was a patriarchal culture—so the Virgin Mary had a circle of women around her, which Sister Emmerich refers to as the holy women. Mary Magdalene joined this circle of holy women and played an important role there. 

This was all preparation for the great event, later, when she was the one who, on the morning of the Resurrection, came to the empty tomb. There, in the Garden of the Holy Sepulcher, she turned around and saw someone whom she thought was the gardener—until she heard him speak. Then she knew: This is the Risen One. He has risen from the dead. Christ spoke with her and said that she should go to the disciples and tell them that he would be ascending to the Father. He gave her the task of being a messenger. One of the Greek words for messenger is Apostle. Because it was Mary Magdalene who brought the news of the Resurrection to the Apostles, particularly to Peter and John, she is called the Apostle to the Apostles. The initiation she received from Jesus was a preparation for this great event of being charged with Jesus’ message of his resurrection from the dead, thereby bearing witness to the Resurrection and becoming the Apostle to the Apostles.” 

Other New Age writings bestow on Mary a very High Messianic designation, based on older Gnostic traditions. For instance,

the Christian-Reincarnation.com website makes these remarks:

“On a somewhat lower level Sophia came into being, the Wisdom, as an emanation of Barbelo. She is also called “bride of Christ”.” 

Another source mentioned in Wikipedia says:

“In the Pistis Sophia, possibly dating as early as the 2nd century, the best surviving of the Gnostic writings, Pistis Sophia presents a long dialog with Jesus in the form of his answers to questions from his disciples. Of the 64 questions, 39 are presented by a woman who is referred to as Mary or Mary Magdalene. Jesus says of Mary:

"Mary, thou blessed one, whom I will perfect in all mysteries of those of the height, discourse in openness, thou, whose heart is raised to the kingdom of heaven more than all thy brethren". 

High praise indeed!

Again from Wikipedia:

“In the Bahá'í tradition there are many references to Mary Magdalene in the sacred writings of the Bahá'í Faith, where she enjoys an exalted status as a heroine of faith and the "archetypal woman of all cycles". `Abdu'l-Bahá, the son of the founder of the religion, said that she was "the channel of confirmation" to Jesus' disciples, a "heroine" who "re-established the faith of the apostles" and was "a light of nearness in his kingdom". `Abdu'l-Bahá also wrote that "her reality is ever shining from the horizon of Christ", "her face is shining and beaming forth on the horizon of the universe forevermore" and that "her candle is, in the assemblage of the world, lighted till eternity".`Abdu'l-Bahá considered her to be the supreme example of how women are completely equal with men in the sight of God and can at times even exceed men in holiness and greatness. Indeed he claimed that she surpassed all the men of her time, and that "crowns studded with the brilliant jewels of guidance" were upon her head.”

In addition to these suggestions that Mary is Sofia, the spiritual “Bride of Christ”, there are many sources that propose that Mary was the actual flesh and blood “Wife of Christ”. In my Introduction to The Gospel of Philip, I read the following from Wikipedia:

“As in the other gnostic texts, the Gospel of Thomas and Gospel of Mary, the Gospel of Philip defends the tradition that gives Mary Magdalene special insight into Jesus' teaching, but does not support twenty-first-century inventions concerning Mary Magdalene as Jesus' wife and mother of his offspring.”

The idea that Jesus had a wife is a conventional heresy, in the carnal sense; but in terms of the Father/Mother God we have discussed in previous sermons, it is a subject that warrants expansion. Here is the text from Philip:

“32. There were three who always walked with the

Lord: Mary — His mother, His sister, and Mary   Magdalene— who was called His companion. So, there were three Maries: His mother, His sister, and His companion.”

Isenburg comments:

“(What was it that allowed these three women to be the companions of Jesus rather than the Twelve?)

The wording of the paragraph indicates that ‘Mary’ or ‘Miriam’ was being used as a spiritual name or title representing a spiritual function. Miriam was the sister of Moses who was a true leader and elder of her people who stood up to Moses, had the support of Aaron, and was greatly beloved when she died.”

Thus Mary, physically the “COMPANION” of Jesus, may or may not have been Jesus’ consort; but, symbolically, she seems to have been a counter-weight in the balancing act Jesus was performing. Then, on a larger cosmic proscenium, we get into the various mythological themes that suggest that Mary was Her own Christlike incarnation of Spirit.

The whole issue of Jesus’ celibacy and His relationship to Mary Magdalene becomes significant, if you want to adopt certain specific doctrinal beliefs. Was she or wasn’t she? etc. As you know, I attribute no authority to the spoken word, and think beliefs are bogus—but that doesn’t mean I still don’t have them. I have beliefs, like everybody else, whose rationality and reality give me comfort before the great void of unknowing. I have no belief in my beliefs, but I still cherish them. 

We cherish our beliefs because they give voice to an inner impulse toward order and harmony; we want invisible material to strengthen our faith—the more our faith is tested the stronger it will become. But our individualities create variation, such that one man’s version may easily form a dissonant relationship with another man’s version; where the paths diverge, there is the conflict. One wonders, since the teachings of Jesus apply to so many graduated levels of consciousness, whether He would ever really recommend one path over another. Or would He consider the whole issue to be of little or no importance? 

You can see from the foregoing, that the subject of Jesus and Mary’s personal relationship is food for argument and dissension, since many nuggets of doctrine depend on it. To me, the whole subject amounts to the same sort of nosiness that prompts us to guess which Hollywood starlet is sleeping with which leading man. My opinion of Jesus is unchanged whether I think of Him as a sexually active father or as a celibate saint. The hot issue is how the Spirit enters and integrates groups of people into One Spiritual Identity—and the magic of this Spiritual activity goes uncompromised in my mind either way. So, provocative as all this is, let us now return to the Gospel of Philip. It will be no surprise that the text revisits the subject of the Masculinity and Femininity of God, the Holy Spirit, as mentioned before, being the Feminine aspect:

“33. The Father and the Son are single names.

But the Holy Spirit is a Double name. For They are

everywhere: They are above, They are below, They are in

the hidden space, They are in the open (space).

(At that) the Holy Spirit is open below and hidden

above.”

The Antonov Commentary develops the idea of multiple identities, a concept that bears on the Mary Magdalene issue. He mentions Divine Individualities representing the Creator in different aspects, or states:

“In a collective sense, denoting concrete Divine Individualities— the Representatives of the Creator.

The Holy Spirits, coming from the Abode of God-the-

Father, are present in Their different states above the surface of the Earth (“the open space”) and inside our planet (“the hidden space”).

However, the Holy Spirits below the surface of the Earth can be seen by a spiritual warrior and can be invisible above it to a worldly person.”

Once again, Philip is referring to a hierarchy of consciousness states, the Earthly and the Heavenly, the Visible and Invisible. It is interesting how the spirit dwells on Earth and in Heaven, and is visible or invisible in either context depending on the level of soul evolution of the observer.

How quickly we come to casual conclusions about what we see on the Earthly plane, when a deeper consideration, viewed from a higher perspective, may reveal a higher truth. Notice the expression, “spiritual warrior”; indeed, to fight through the labyrinths of Material Illusion (we say, “Maya”), to get at this higher Truth, is the act of a warrior, determined and resolute, armed with the “Armor of God” to defeat the snares of Satan’s delusive trickery.

The next article I want to read is of peripheral interest, but bears on Mary’s mission in the world after Jesus left it:

The Story of Mary Magdalene and the First Easter Egg

March 27, 2016 By Gretchen Filz

Mary Magdalene has a special place among Jesus’ disciples.

It was St. Mary Magdalene‘s great love for Christ that kept her standing at the foot of the Cross, weeping and grief-stricken, until her Savior died. It was her heartbreaking pain of loss that drove her to his tomb at the first light of day in order to anoint his body.

As a reward for her great love and faithfulness, she is the privileged person to whom Jesus first appeared on Easter Sunday morning; she was the very first witness of the Resurrection.

It was Mary Magdalene, a woman, who went and told the twelve Apostles that Jesus had risen from the dead; for this she is called “Apostle to the Apostles.”

After Jesus’ Resurrection and Ascension, Mary Magdelene continued her mission as an evangelizer, contemplative, and mystic in the heart of the Church.

MARY MAGDALENE AND THE EASTER EGG

According to tradition, after Jesus’ Ascension into heaven, the Magdalene—a wealthy woman of some importance—boldly presented herself to the Emperor Tiberius Caesar in Rome to proclaim the resurrection of Jesus Christ, with an egg in hand to illustrate her message.

Holding the egg out to him, she exclaimed for the first time what is now the universal Easter proclamation among Christians, “Christ is risen!”

The emperor, mocking her, said that Jesus had no more risen than the egg in her hand was red. Immediately, the egg turned red as a sign from God to illustrate the truth of her message. The Emperor then heeded her complaints about Pilate condemning an innocent man to death, and had Pilate removed from Jerusalem under imperial displeasure.

Why would Mary Magdalene bring an egg to talk about Jesus with the Roman Emperor?

In another tradition, it is said that Mary Magdalene brought a basket of white boiled eggs with her on Easter morning to the tomb of Jesus—perhaps as a meal for herself and the others as they waited for someone to roll the stone away. When she arrived at the site of the Resurrection, finding the stone already rolled away, she also found that the eggs in her basket had turned into bright shades of color.

Perhaps this is why she brought an egg to the Emperor; did she expect that Jesus would perform a similar miracle for her egg as he had done on that first Easter morning?

While we do not know if these stories are true with absolute certainty, we do know that the tradition of handing out red eggs at Easter is one that originated among Christians in Apostolic times. And we often find Mary Magdalene depicted in icons holding a red egg. Moreover, the story fits into the various cultural traditions already surrounding the symbol of the egg.

THE EASTER EGG TRADITION

For many cultures, even before the time of Christianity, the egg was a symbol of creation, spring, and rebirth. After the resurrection of Christ, the egg took on a new meaning for Christians and became a symbol of new life breaking forth while leaving the empty tomb behind. Perhaps this became even more pronounced due to the account of Mary Magdalene.

Eggs were what helped people to understand a new theological truth—the resurrection of the dead, and a new religion—Christianity—built around the first Resurrection.

In this way a symbol of Christ’s resurrection, the Easter egg then became a symbol for the rebirth of all mankind at the resurrection on the Last Day due to the merits of Jesus Christ. “Easter eggs” were shared with one another as a joyful symbol of Christian hope.”

As you know, I always like to let Martin Luther put in his two cents. The following is from “Christ Our Brother”: Sermon on John 20:11-18 The Resurrection of Our Lord (March 28, 1535).

“I propose to speak [today] about Mary Magdalene, how she had a conversation with the angel and afterwards with the Lord. These are stressed so strongly to let you know what the resurrection is and for whom it is valid. Christ did not have to make himself known for his own sake, nor for the angels who already knew him. But this happened and has been written down in order that we might learn to believe it and hold it fast. So, look at the story, how kindly the dear holy angels speak with Mary Magdalene and the other women, as though they are jesting with Magdalene. It seems almost like they, in their own certainty and joy, make fun of her and her weeping, and say, “What a dear fool you are, crying in the midst of such great and overwhelming joy.” They speak with her as one would with a playmate with whom one had been raised since childhood. The angels treat her as though she were their beloved sister, as though she were with them in the kingdom of heaven. In doing this, they want to inculcate in us the truths that they already know, as though we too already sat with them in heaven and had them for brothers and sisters; as though we too could play with them like comrades with whom we had been raised since childhood.

All this occurs to comfort and support us so that we come to know [the truth of] this article [on the resurrection]. The resurrection has happened now! It is true in reality and fact, not only in promise. For Christ the Head has been raised up. He is no longer, as before, merely the resurrected one according to the letter and word [of scriptural promise]. Now he has been raised up in person. He has become Lord over death and, in his own person, he has defeated death.

With this, the article is more than half [fulfilled]. That’s why the angels are so friendly to the people, and especially to these women, why they play and jest with [Mary] so happily. It is as though they said, “O dear Mary, are you not our comrade in heaven? There’s no reason for you to be crying. Not only have you not lost your Lord; you can rejoice with us for eternity, because he is already risen.”

First, the angels strengthen our faith and argue with us in the same way they argued with Magdalene and the women. They relate to us Christians as though we, too, were already in heaven; they come to us and let themselves be seen in their brilliant robes and act as though everything were already fulfilled. They make no distinction between themselves and us, and they almost ridicule our weeping, our cares, and our grief. Magdalene is a first image and example of how feebly we believe this article. She is still in the old skin of Eve, which will never be able to send her forth into a future life and the company of the angels. But nevertheless she is awakened and believes that Christ is raised from the dead. Those who, like the angels, can believe and take seriously that Christ is raised and is among us, who [do not seek] the living [among the dead], are as happy as the angels. The more firmly this article [is believed], the more firm our courage and spirit; then we will not fear the devil or Pilate or Herod. But if we are not as happy [as the angels], that is a sign of unbelief or little faith.

So, we must see to it that we do not deceive ourselves, regarding ourselves as Christians when we are nothing less [than the old Adam]. Then Christ is dead in us, and Adam lives. Then we are in the devil’s company, falling from the living Christ back into the dead Adam. We see enough examples of that. Although not all of us receive [the angel’s message], some do. And for these, it is not only the holy angels who are there, playing with us so positively, but Christ himself, the one who holds more in common with us than the angels, who belongs even more closely to us. For angels have no flesh and blood; nevertheless they joke with Magdalene and with all of us. But Christ [who shares our flesh and blood] did not come for his own sake but for the sake of Magdalene.

And he says to her: “Go and say to my brothers....” That goes far beyond the angels. It is much more loving and friendly than what the angels had to say, as they, in their merriment, make fun of Mary. When God speaks like this to a person’s heart, that person could never be sad. The Lord himself [acts in this way] to Mary, the one who had seven demons, who was a woman and human being like any other woman. Even Peter and the others, whom Christ calls brothers, were no better than we. They are [all made] of the same dough [as we]! If they are higher than anyone else, it is not because they were born that way; they will have to give credit to the one who calls them brothers. [They will say,] “But now he is gone from us; from now on [he is] no longer here in this life. It would have made sense [for him to call us brothers] earlier, when he was still on earth and not yet transfigured or transferred into our own resurrection from death and arrival in heaven. . . .

All Christians are already more than half [raised]! For Christ [is raised], and [with him] their souls. Only the sack [remains], in which the soul is held. But the body, too, [will be raised], after the Head has been taken away. The soul, i.e., the kernel, [is already raised with Christ]; and the shell will not remain behind. Thus, we learn firmly to believe that we are raised with Christ and transferred with him into heaven, that we are already more than halfway to [eternal] life. This is certain because he is our brother and we are his sisters and brothers. May the merciful God help us, that we may believe this and rejoice!”

In conclusion, I will now read, as a benediction Mary at the Tomb, written in 1987. Remember these are song lyrics.

Mary at the Tomb

Lo, how she weeps. 

Lo, how she weeps at her place by the tomb. 

(Lo, how her tears damp the stones.) 

Lo, how she weeps. 

Lo, how her swollen eyes search the vacant air 

for her master's breathless form.

Then comes a face 

who shows her 

something new,

something not seen before.

And lo she calls Him, 

“Master! Master! 

Precious precious Lord! 

Hallelujah Christ is risen! Hallelujah! 

Hallelujah Christ is risen! Hallelujah! 

Our glorious savior has risen again.

Hosanna! Christ Jesus most holy thou art. 

Oh wonderful! Wonderful!

Who lives in my heart. 

Lo, Lo how the world turns away from your light, to lie in dark shadows to weep and to mourn, 

when all round your throne is such 

power and might 

that the veil of all evil 

is lifted and torn.

Hallelujah Christ is risen! Hallelujah!  

All glory be thine.

Hallelujah Christ is risen! Hallelujah! Amen. 

Our glorious savior has risen again. 

Hallelujah Christ is risen! Hallelujah!

Forever be praised and your glory be mine. 

Unto all nations I promise to sing--

Christ is risen Hallelujah! 

The Prince become King.

All time is your homeland, 

All power is Thine. 

Forever and ever and ever 

Let your glory be mine. 

Amen.