Easter and Believing Women

 

Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive.  Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.”

Luke 24: 22-24 NRSV

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.” ...

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.

John 20:1-3, 18 NRSV

In the liturgical calendar yesterday was the beginning of Easter, a season of 50 days which leads to Pentecost Sunday, this year on June fifth. In reality a lot of congregations forego any more Easter hymns and take down decorations. I negotiated with worship committees, most of them quite dedicated, to let Easter be Easter and the members did their best not to roll their weary eyes. 

I've been thinking about the women of Easter as first witnesses and first evangelists of the gospel of the Risen Christ -- essentially the first Christians. I imagine that part of the reason is that in the States there seems to be a heightening of resistance in conservative Christian circles to women in leadership, whether its the evangelical camp or hardline Roman Catholics. Women who have written about the toxic and non-biblical patriarchy in different traditions have been vilified and some have moved on to more accepting expressions of Christianity. It's something of a miracle that they don't just pack it in altogether. 

Given that one male disciple betrayed Jesus and another denied him, and that women were faithful at the cross and the empty tomb, maybe we need to ask how the scam of male superiority in the church has endured for two thousand years. 

The tee-shirt above and the tweet below say it all about those first Christians: 

Carolyn Moore

@CarolynCMoore

I thank God for those women, not because they were women but because they were spiritual giants who believed an angel, trusted Jesus, and did the only sane thing they could do, given what they now knew. They went and told somebody.