Feast of Mary Magdalene

 John 20:1,14-18

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.

…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? Whom 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, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” 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.

I wonder how long…

How long

in the dark of that early morning

did Mary hold her delicious secret 

close to her heart

How long did she savour 

that gargantuan news

that he whom she accompanied 

in life and in death

chose her to be there for his rising

For those precious moments

in the dark of early morning

Mary alone 

held the news close

before she took to her heels

to proclaim resurrection

By the words of a woman

the gospel was preached

Thus it was

Is now

And ever shall be

Amen

The morning after the campfire

 

The fire pit is empty

the burnt and blackened logs of the night before

resting

Until another arrives

to ignite and fan the flame

The songs sung and the yarns spun

hang around

like a wisp in the air

like webs carefully woven

and added to an intricate pattern of weaving 

that continues

long after the story makers leave

The birds and trees and fungi

gather them up

and let them settle

deep in the earth and wind and fire and water

A return to the elements

held lightly

cherished and nurtured

until another soul encounters the wisdom stored 

in a place reserved for listening 

for recovering the ground beneath our feet

and for sharing in the healing of the earth

Non binary

I cry myself

Portfolio Priest

And, as I live with this

self proclaimed handle,

I realise

it comes from all those years

I was told

You have to choose

You have to be one thing 

or the other 

Those years when my vocation

was questioned

by a patriarchy

that knew not how

to re-imagine priesthood

A patriarchy that sought to weed out

and punish by exclusion 

all who were different

And I know now

as I knew then

My vocation is non binary

not this or that

but a kaleidoscope of bits and pieces

of many shapes and hues

tumbling together

And I recognise

my privilege

that allows me to claim my identity

An identity that embraces the possibility

of more than one thing being true

at the same time

and to call it fabulous

BRB

Acts 1:8-9

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

I’ve never been a fan of those Ascension pics

of Jesus with flowing white robes 

and immaculate feet

disappearing out of the top of the frame

into a billow of fluffy clouds

while people stand around, mouths gaping

confounded by another twist in the tale

of God with skin on.

Post resurrection, I imagine those feet 

with stigmata from the brutality of crucifixion

There may have been dew from the garden

where he met Mary while it was still dark

Or sand from the beach 

where he hung out and cooked for his friends

And I don't imagine an upward trajectory 

More of a vaporisation

like a pixellating image

indicating a changed state

Because that’s what Ascension is about

Transformation

An invitation to connect

in a whole different way

with the risen, ascended Jesus

a way to know God

not in clouds

but in the ground of everyday

Be right back - 

both the threat and the promise

of Ascension

Have you anything here to eat?

 

Luke 24:41-43

While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence.

Have you anything here to eat?

A reasonable request.

Bursting from a tomb

and trawling through hell

is ravenous work.

Have you anything here to eat?

A request that’s easily met

As we sift through the remnants in the fridge

and google ‘leftover recipes’

Have you anything here to eat?

A request that takes our attention

from ourselves

to another

with the gifts of grace and hospitality

Have you anything here to eat?

A request that enables a shift

beyond our anxiety

to the possibility of encounter

and the potential of transformation

Have you anything here to eat?

Did you know?

Who knew?

That today, April ninth

is National Unicorn Day

A day to celebrate 

beauty and mystery

and unlikely possibilities

A day for gathering up

the myths and legends 

and symbols 

along with the the fanciful notions

that hold the potential

for joy and creativity

that, when pondered deeply,

chart an unlikely path through stuck narratives

and signal release

to contemplate 

and to realise

the unimaginable.

The Harrowing

 

He descended into hell…

The longer I stick with faith

the more I need the harrowing of hell

to be true

I need the veracity of the Christ

fresh out of the grave

a bit dazed

scabbed over wounds leaking with the exertion

to stride purposefully into hell

as though he owned it

And go straight to his friend Judas

To take him by the hand,

give him a man hug

and get him the feck out of there

no passing go

no parting with £200

If that ain’t true

then what’s the point of any of it?

(Liz Crumlish Holy Saturday 2024)