...we don't know where they have laid him.

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Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them,
“They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”
--John 20:1-2

When the first Easter morning dawned, there was no sudden triumph or cause for joy. When the women came to the tomb, they were there to mourn, the Sabbath having prevented them from immediately performing the rituals of burial. Jesus, the one they loved, had been humiliated and executed by the state amid the sneering and jeering of hate-filled crowds.


Now, adding insult to injury, the stone was rolled away and the tomb empty. The despair the women felt, especially Mary Magdalene, is difficult to imagine but must be seen. We know– though she didn’t then– that that was not the end of the story.


She ran to get the disciples, Peter and John, who observed the linens and cloth left behind, then returned to their homes, defeated.


Mary was alone, then, weeping at the empty tomb.


This Easter Sunday coincides with the Transgender Day of Visibility, a day designed to shift our focus from the overwhelming majority of stories about transgender people, which center on the hate and violence the community faces. Instead, TDoV calls us to celebrate the lives and contributions of trans people, and their flourishing after revelation of their true selves.


It was breaking through the violence, indignity, and deep despair that Jesus was resurrected, and as the sun rose, became fully visible to Mary and the disciples as the risen savior. At first, she mistook Jesus for the gardener, but when she saw him for who he was, everything changed.
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).
--John 20:14-16

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May the Easter story empower us all to grow in our affirmation and acceptance of all who are simply seeking to live authentically.
He is Risen!
Save the Date: Join us on April 17th from 12-1:30 PM EDT for the first in a series of panel discussions on Affirmed + Celebrated: A Reformed Theology of Inclusion.

We'll begin by examining Sections 2 & 3 of the report, a Reformed Interpretation of Scripture and Morality, with Committee members Rev. Stephanie Kaper-Dale and Rev. Jeff Knol.
Details to follow in a future email, and on social media @RoomforAllRCA!
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