Once Mary Magdalene realized she was seeing Jesus there in the garden, she wanted to hold onto him. Jesus doesn’t let her. He won’t let her be content with just the beginnings of resurrection. He won’t let the alleluias be so contained – they must ring throughout the world. And Jesus will use her to do it. It’s this way in all the Easter stories. The disciples will leave their locked rooms, their comfort zones, and will go out, sharing Jesus’ story with the world. It’s a good reminder: Being a disciple of Jesus demands that we change our habits, our preconceptions and our way of life, so that our neighbors may know good news here and now.
Easter is simply a call to join in sharing this good news with the world – making resurrection real through our words and actions. God is bringing resurrection life into our world even now, the signs of which can be found not just in gardens, but in locked rooms, classrooms, boardrooms, homes, cities and towns. As we become the means by which resurrection’s work is done, our broken alleluias will create a new chorus.
This message is excerpted form “Broken alleluias” by Katie Hines-Shah in the April 2021 Gather magazine. Today we commemorate Anselm, Bishop of Canterbury, 1109.
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