Holy Week is a time of both extremes – from the wrenching loss of Good Friday to the triumphant exultation of Easter Sunday. The women named in the Gospels give us an image of life that is traveled in community. The women at the tomb face deep sorrow and astonishing joy in quick succession; and they bear witness to it all together. I wonder if they stayed in close contact for the rest of their lives, bound together by this almost unbelievable experience.
As we move through the events of Jesus’ death and resurrection each year, we, too, are called into community.
The rhythm of the church year connects us to a story of faith that is larger than any of us. Our friends who live far away, the ancestors we didn’t know well – they have lived this story too. Walking through the story of life, death and resurrection and many ordinary days each year brings us together. Our community walks behind us, in front of us and right next to us, holding our hands.
This message is excerpted from “Women at the tomb” by Jordan Miller-Stubbendick in the April 2020 Gather magazine.
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