St Mary Magdalene – morning
Sunday 22nd July 2018
St Mary Magdalene
Trinity 8 – morning
Song of Solomon 3.1-4
John 20. 1-2, 11-18
Revd Preb Maureen Hobbs
Although she may not be aware of it, Martha has chosen a very good day on which to be baptised…. The Feast of Mary Magdalene.
[How many of the young people here today have a ‘best friend’? What makes them special to you? Jesus had several ‘best friends’ that we give a special name to – the Disciples . They were his ‘gang’ they went everywhere with him and they learned a lot of what he had to say.]
Mary is unusual in the Bible, because even in New Testament times – when women were supposed to keep very much to the domestic sphere, Mary entered into a much more public ministry. She was a strong woman – one who could stand up for herself and unusually she wasn’t dependent on a father or husband or brother. She was a woman of means.
She is someone who had been personally touched by Jesus. He had healed her of her mental pain and anguish; restored her to new life and to the society of other people. Forget all the stories about her being a woman of dubious reputation – that is all rubbish, coming from the words of a much later Pope, getting his ‘Marys’ in the Bible all confused; “Fake News” if ever there was!
No, Mary of Magdala, was one of Jesus’ closest and most loyal supporters and followers. And it was she who was the first to meet with and speak with the risen Jesus after his death and burial. She was called to be “The apostle to the apostles”. She was commissioned by Jesus to go and tell others the good news that death was no longer to be seen as the final word. She used the strength of her relationship with the living Jesus to tell others that they could enjoy the same sort of relationship with him. “He’s Alive!”
And that is exactly the message that we are this morning passing on to little Martha. And together with her parents and godparents; (not to mention her big sister) we are celebrating the good news that she too can enter into a close and loving relationship with the risen Jesus Christ. And as she grows up she too – like all of us – can know that he is there beside her, reaching out to touch and to heal her of any hurts or difficulties that may face her in life. Martha has already shown that – even at this young age – she knows her own mind and will follow it!
It has been said that at Baptism God places his song into our hearts; and that our task in life is to learn the words of that song and how to sing it.
In the musical JC Superstar, Mary Magdalene memorably sings the song “I don’t know how to love him…” But I think she did know exactly how to love him in the end. She knew that she had to share his message with his friends and followers. And just like her, Martha must learn to sing that song (with the help and guidance of her parents and godparents and of the whole Christian community around her.) There may be tears along the way – there were for Mary Magdalene, so why should we be any different? But if we listen hard we will hear that beloved voice calling our name so that we can turn to him and draw strength from him to become the best, and the strongest human being we can possibly be. Thanks be to God.