Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene after his resurrection from the dead, depicted by Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov (Public Domain)
by Christine Sine
Mary Magdalene has become one of my favourite New Testament figures. She is also one of the most misused and abused a fitting symbol for women throughout the ages who are still misused abused and blamed. Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus’ most dedicated followers. She was present at his crucifixion and the first to see Jesus after his resurrection. Yet what most of us believe when we think of Mary Magdalene is a “fact” for which there is no evidence. She is remembered as a prostitute rather than as the faithful first bearer of the Good News.
Why do we so easily believe this? Part of it is because there are so many Marys mentioned in the New Testament that it is confusing. However, though her prominence in the story of Jesus probably began to deteriorate shortly after her death, the transformation to penitent prostitute was only sealed on Sept. 14, 1591, when Pope Gregory the Great gave a homily in Rome that pronounced that Mary Magdalene, Luke’s unnamed sinner, and Mary of Bethany were, indeed, the same person.
We easily forget or ignore the fact that women played a prominent part in the leadership of the church Sadly as Christianity became more mainstream it also became more patriarchal and the roles of women as disciples, elders and leaders (some even say as apostles) was quickly overlooked or reinterpreted.
We still like to think the worst of women and want them to “keep their place”. Like most women in leadership I am quite familiar with this. As a young doctor I was told it was wrong for me, a single woman to earn more than a married man, and I was, on several occasions, refused positions of leadership just because of my gender.
The church is often at the forefront of abuse and discrimination. When Sarah Bessey started a Twitter conversation using the hashtag, #ThingsOnlyChristianWomenHear on April 18 it took off in a way few expected and the conversation is still rippling round social media. Women shared stories of rape, abuse, and sexism in the church and how the bible was used to justify these things and keep them quiet. Men blamed women for not submitting to their husbands or leaders or just for wearing provocative clothing. “They deserved to be raped” some said.
The discussion about pregnancy and health insurance here in the U.S. was the final straw for me. So many inequalities still separate women from men in almost every country in the world and it seems to me that our present political environment exacerbates it. Prior to the Affordable Care Act women often paid more than men for the same coverage but health insurance for pregnancy, labor, delivery, and newborn baby care became mandatory in 2014 under Obama’s plan. That could soon change however and when women are at their most vulnerable they could once more be made to suffer financial hardships. It’s not as bad as when masters could impregnate their servants and then throw them out onto the streets but it seems to have some of the same flavor to me.
What Is Your Response?
As you can tell this is an issue that is very upsetting for me and I pray that you will forgive me. However I believe that Jesus brings the freedom of equality to all persons and where we see inequality we all need to speak out. As Galatians 3:28 says There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Biblical scholars have told me that this was one of the creedal texts of the early church, so why do we not believe it? The gender gap is still very obvious not just in our world, but in God’s family.
Prayerfully consider your own response firstly to Mary Magdalene and then to women in your life. Are there misconceptions in your views of them? Are there ways in which you discriminate against women by not treating them as equals? How would God have you respond.
BISHOP JOHN OF BEVERLEY
Died May 7, 721
John of Beverley was the scholarly Bishop of Hexham for 33 years and later was consecrated as the Bishop of York in 705. He was also known as a great preacher, evangelist, teacher, and miracle worker.
Throughout the years, John of Beverley has had numerous devotees including the great mystic and 14th c. anchoress Julian of Norwich. She described him as “a kind neighbor of pure knowing.” The famous scholar Alcuin had a strong devotion to John. In Alcuin’s poem on the saints of York, he wrote of the numerous miracles of John. Even King Edward I and King Henry V were also devoted followers of John. Henry V attributed his win at the Battle of Agincourt in the 15th century to the help from John. It is said that on the day of the battle, that blood and oil flowed from John’s tomb.
John was not only a Bishop, but he was also a miracle worker. What we know about Bishop John derives mostly from The Venerable Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English People. Interestingly, since Bede lived at the famous Jarrow Abbey, which was under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Hexham, Bishop John ordained Bede. This ordination first occurred when Bede was nineteen years old as a deacon and then as a priest at age thirty. Bede had a life-long admiration and affection for his Bishop.
Bede who included the stories about St. Hilda of Whitby in his Ecclesiastical History, quite likely learned about her from John of Beverley. He had trained under her at her double monastery at Whitby. John was one of five bishops that were trained by St. Hilda.
In Bede’s record of John of Beverley, he records that Abbot Berthun of Beverley recounted to him many of the miracles of John. Some of these miracles included the healing of the nun Cwenburgh who was the daughter of the Abbess Hereburg of the small nunnery of Watton near Beverly; the healing of the wife of a wealthy man named Puch with holy water consecrated in the church; the healing of a servant of a wealthy man named Æddi; and the healing of the Abbot of the monastery at Tynemouth who had fallen off his horse and cracked his skull.
One of the more intriguing miracles performed by John was of a young man who was not able to hear or speak and whose head was so covered in scabs that no hair would grow on his head. John prayed over the boy and placed the sign of the cross on his tongue. He also worked diligently with the boy to teach him to speak the letters of the alphabet and to be able to say “yes” and “no.” This young man was later able to speak in syllables and then in words. So, this was an incarnational miracle: human and divine working together. With this miracle, John became the patron saint of those who are deaf. Many more miracles are credited to John, not only in life, but also in his death.
John’s life is not only recorded in Bede’s work, but also in later more embellished biographies and hagiographies by Folcard, John Leland, and William of Malmsebury among others who partially based their works upon Bede’s earlier work.
John was likely born to a noble family in Harpham in East Riding of Yorkshire just a few miles north of Beverley, but we do not know the exact year or even the decade when he was born. Bede says that John lived to be a very old man and that he died in 721. So, John may have been born in the first half of the 600’s.
Three years before John died at a ripe old age, he resigned as Bishop of York and he consecrated his successor, Wilfrid II, as the new Bishop. St. Hilda of Whitby had also trained Wilfrid II. John then retired to the monastery he had founded in a secluded spot called Inderawuda, meaning ‘in the wood of Deira’. This Inderawuda is considered to be Beverley, as at that time this little village was very wooded and was an island in the middle of a lake. The name “Beverley” likely means “beaver stream or lake.”
John’s church at Beverley had special sanctuary rights which were likely more extensive than those of other churches during this time. This generosity has opened the way for fugitives and refugees to flock to St. John of Beverley throughout the centuries. This good-hearted Bishop lived out the words of Jesus the Christ, “when you have done it to the least of these, you have done it to Me.” (Matthew 25:40)
Bede records that John died on May 7, 721. He was buried at his monastery church in Beverley and almost immediately after his death, Beverley became a place of pilgrimage. Pilgrims from the early Middle Ages all the way until the Reformation flocked to his shrine to see his relics and to pray for miracles.
John likely left behind numerous writings that have been lost over time. Robert Bale who died in 1503, recorded that several of John of Beverley’s writings were in Queen’s College in Oxford.
1,300 years later, John of Beverley’s life is still remembered and celebrated. The feast of St. John is celebrated on the Thursday nearest May 7, when the choir and members of the congregation of Beverley Minster go to the church of John’s birthplace at Harpham. There is a procession to the flower festooned well of John. After singing an anthem and praying, the congregation returns to the church for choral evensong.
The annual celebration continues on the Sunday nearest May 7, with the dignitaries of the city dressed in full regalia, led by macebearers processing to the West Door of the Beverley Minster. After the service, the children from Harpham place primroses that they have gathered from the woods on John’s tomb.:/
By Alex Tang
“O God, you will show me the path of life and fill me with joy in your presence.”
Labyrinth at Lifesprings Canossian Spirituality Centre, Singapore
A labyrinth is a pattern on the ground in which there is a long pathway that leads to the centre. Once reaching the centre, you may follow path back to the entrance which is also the exit. Generally, there are three stages to the walk: releasing on the way in, receiving in the center and returning when you follow the path back out of the center of the labyrinth. Symbolically, and sometimes actually, you are taking back out into the world that which you have received.
The first documented example of a labyrinth we have is from 324 A.D. when Christians placed a labyrinth on the floor of their church in Algiers, North Africa. Many of the early church fathers including Ambrose, Gregory of Nyssa, and Jerome wrote about labyrinths as a metaphor to illustrate important Christian beliefs.
There is no right way or wrong way to walk a labyrinth. Use the labyrinth in any way that meets your needs while being respectful of others who may be walking on the path. You may stop anywhere along the path to mediate, pray or be in silence. You will often meet others walking the path in the opposite direction. Simply step around them. Walk at your own pace; you may even pass others who may be in front of you. Take your time. Walk slowly. Do what feels natural to you — some walk steadily, some cover their faces with scarves, some dance, some twirl and dance, some stop often. At the center you may sit, kneel, stand, change positions or directions, pray, meditate, or do silent reading or writing.
“Be still and know that I am God.”
Psalm 46:10
To prepare for walking, you may want to sit quietly to reflect before stepping onto the labyrinth. Some people come with questions, others just to slow down and take time out from a busy life. Some come to find strength to take the next step. Many come during times of grief and loss.
In walking the labyrinth with the psalms, we are to read a psalm while walking the labyrinth. Select a psalm from the list below or choose one of your own.
Psalms 1; 8; 23; 27; 42; 46; 48; 63; 84; 108; 111; 139; 143; 147
The idea is to stick to meditating/praying one particular psalm for the whole duration of this walk, using it to pray, meditate and contemplate. Read the psalm slowly. Meditate and listen to each word, sentence and paragraph. Restart at the beginning of the psalm when you have reached the end.
By Lilly Lewin
This week’s lectionary readings move us from the resurrection story back to the gospel of John.
In John 10:1-10 we are called to reflect on Jesus as the Gate and invited to look at ourselves as sheep.
Many of us in America don’t grow up around sheep so often being told we are like sheep doesn’t help us. Most of us have never spent any time with them. When I was in 7th grade, my family moved to the farm from the suburbs. My dad thought it would be good for us to learn about farming and farm animals. I like to say that he wanted us to be the 1890’s farm family, and live off the land way before it was retro and cool to do so. The first couple of years we lived on the farm we had a sheep named Sally. Sally was my first introduction to what sheep are like, and she gave me a real-life picture of how sheep behave, and why I am too often really like a sheep. I learned that sheep’s makes it easy for a predator like a coyote to grab on to the sheep and drag it down to kill it. Sheep really do need protection. They need a shepherd and a sheepfold or pen to protect them from harm. When Sally felt threatened, like after she her had twin lambs, and she thought I might harm them, Sally would snort and stomp her foot at me. That was her only defense, stomping her foot and giving a snort. That was her way of saying “just stop right there.” I realized that I’m a lot like Sally. Too often I snort and stomp my foot at God when I don’t like what God is up to or when I don’t understand it
Too many of us live in the city or in the suburbs, so we miss the symbolism of the sheep, and of gates too. We might have a front gate or a back gate in and out of the yard, but many of us don’t even have that around our homes. We just go to the door, or walk down a walkway or hallway in an apartment building with not a gate in sight. So it takes some work to think about gates, and sheep and shepherds.
What about you? What do you know about sheep? Have you ever felt like a sheep? Do you ever feel like my sheep Sally?
This past Sunday, at our thinplace gathering, we used John 10:1-10 (this Sunday’s gospel reading) for our lectio divina, and we prayed the psalm 23 as our opening prayer. In preparation for this Sunday, or if you don’t follow the lectionary readings, take some time to consider John 10:1-10 and read and listen to Psalm 23 on your own, with your family, or roommates or small group and give yourself time to ponder Jesus as a gate and yourself as a sheep who hears his voice..
The process we use is listening to the gospel passage read aloud in three different voices. If you are doing this on your own, just read slowly and allow the Holy Spirit to highlight a word or phrase for you. What pops out to you? What do you notice that you didn’t notice before?
Lectio divina, or divine listening, is a practice that allows us to hear a familiar scripture passage in a new way, with new ears. We hear new things, and allow the Holy Spirit to highlight the scripture passage for us for today. Yes, we bring to the hearing what we have learned and known before, but the idea is to allow God to speak to us today and impact us right now. What does this passage mean for me today? What is the Holy Spirit revealing to me right now, not from my years of sermons or teachings I have heard or led? But rather, what is my gift from God in this passage? What is my response? How is God asking me to respond? I often ask the Holy Spirit to act as yellow highlighting pen/marker as I read or listen, and make marks on the page, circle words and write down questions that come up as I listen to a passage. And since I am a visual learner and an artist, I think about the images and picture myself in the story. Listen to the passage and let it speak to you for today.
Read John 10:1-10 and Psalm 23
Use Psalm23 and/ or the Gospel passage as your inspiration to write or to create art. Allow the Holy Spirit to inspire you! You can use the questions that follow as guides for your journaling and for art.
John 10:1-10
Jesus said, “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
John 10:1-10 The Message
10 1-5 “Let me set this before you as plainly as I can. If a person climbs over or through the fence of a sheep pen instead of going through the gate, you know he’s up to no good—a sheep rustler! The shepherd walks right up to the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice. They won’t follow a stranger’s voice but will scatter because they aren’t used to the sound of it.”
6-10 Jesus told this simple story, but they had no idea what he was talking about. So he tried again. “I’ll be explicit, then. I am the Gate for the sheep. All those others are up to no good—sheep stealers, every one of them. But the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for—will freely go in and out, and find pasture. A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.
Things to Consider while Journaling
*How has God been your shepherd or your gate?
*What thieves or bandits are robbing you of peace or joy in your life? What sheep rustlers are stealing from you?
*What things help you know God’s voice? Or Jesus’ voice? When and How do you feel closest to God?
*How does it feel to know that Jesus knows your name? What would it take for you to truly believe this?
*What is abundant life to you? What does abundant life look like?
*How do you need Jesus to be a gate in your life right now?
*How do you need his protection? His care? Or Does the Gate need to swing open in some way for you right now?
As you open and close gates in your life this week and in the days and weeks to come, or if you happen to have sheep in your life, allow Jesus to speak to you through these things. And take time to listen for the voice of the Shepherd.
Check out these two videos from youtube…one is on the shepherd calling his sheep and the other is an interesting look at psalm 23.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e45dVgWgV64 Sheep know their the shepherd
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z_1dING_uI Rabbi on Psalm 23
Learn more about Lectio Divina https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lectio_Divina
freerangeworship.com 
by Christine Sine.
Tom and I have just returned from a wonderful walk around Greenlake. We are so privileged to live close to this beautiful sanctuary. Sometimes we walk in the morning, sometimes at noon and sometimes in the late afternoon. I relish the changing patterns of the water, sometimes serene and tranquil, sometimes angry and choppy. I drink in the beauty of the emerging green and the profusion of blossoms that surround me. And today, my first glimpse of the new ducklings and goslings.
I am indeed blessed by all things as John O’Donohue reminds us in this beautiful poem from To Bless The Space Between. I am filled with the joy of God’s resurrection world and I pray that you too will pause, read through this poem of blessing and take notice.
(As an Amazon Affiliate I receive a small amount for your purchases made through this link)
By Britni D’Eliso —
Every lazy summer evening and crisp autumn walk, I question whether or not spring truly is my favorite season.
And every time I see the first bright daffodil braving the winter gusts and smell the fresh air after the first fall of rain, it’s confirmed: Spring is hands-down my favorite time of the year. Nothing beats the emerging glimpses of new life as the snow is melting and the earth is rebounding from the harshness of winter. Spring marks the return of vibrant colors and baby animal songs and no more defrosting the car windows early before work!
Even more importantly, spring reminds us that God redeems. He has established a creation that goes dormant each year, and faithfully springs up with renewed life within his perfect timing. For every downed branch in a winter storm, there is a brilliant bloom that pushes through the hardened earth to sing of new life.
Each year we embark on growth. We are welcoming one another into the garden of the life God has established to nourish his children. As we dig into (pun fully intended) scriptures and meditations that reference growth, gardens and new life, I invite you to explore patterns of regeneration, restoration and redemption that God might be working in you this spring.
This is what the Lord says—
he who made a way through the sea,
a path through the mighty waters,
who drew out the chariots and horses,
the army and reinforcements together,
and they lay there, never to rise again,
extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:
“Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.
The wild animals honor me,
the jackals and the owls,
because I provide water in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland,
to give drink to my people, my chosen,
the people I formed for myself
that they may proclaim my praise. Isaiah 43:16-21
Britni is a quiet but fearless spirit who is earnestly seeking the beauty of the redemption that Jesus has personally determined for her life. Committed to the truth that listening breeds understanding and understanding results in compassion, she clings to the power of life’s stories. She has embarked on the venture of discovering her own story and lending an ear to the stories lived out in others and savors the trace of Jesus that is woven throughout them all. Currently, that journey has landed her in a balancing act between the role of wife, momma, and a mental health therapist.
Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed… The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”Genesis 2:8,15
God was the first gardener. Creating and establishing the first trees, shrubs, and other forms of vegetation, then placing humankind into the garden, God establishes what a healthy relationship between humankind and the rest of creation is to look like. The most literal translations have God charging us not to exploit, but to care for and tend the creation God called “very good”.
Jump forward to Resurrection Day. Mary mistakes the risen Jesus for a gardener and that, he was! All those references he made to seed and death and life are now embodied in his resurrection.
Of course, none of this is new, but it did get me thinking. As I plan for this year’s garden, start seeds in our little sunroom, and prepare the garden beds for planting, I can’t help but reflect on how these simple acts relate to God’s profound acts of love and grace as God walks with creation throughout history.
Take a moment to reflect on Genesis chapter 2:
- Do you see your relationship with creation as one of a caretaker?
- Are there ways you might change how you live to better reflect God’s command to nurture and care for creation?
- List three practices to begin this week to move closer to God’s design for us as caretakers.
Now imagine all of your life experiences and actions as those of a gardener:
- What are your favorite things to “plant”?
- What things do you spend most of your time “tending and nurturing”?
- When looking at your life-garden, what do you “water”?
- What things could benefit from more water?
- Are there things that need “pruning”?
- What are they, and how might you begin this week to approach them?
- Are there “plants” that are invasive, taking over, and need to be eliminated?
Finally, imagine your garden as a place of hospitality and sharing:
- How do you share your “harvest”?
- Are there things you just make available for others to glean?
- Are there “garden beds” you help prepare for others to plant in?
- What are they, and how do you nurture the best soil possible for others?
Using the language of gardening is a thought-provoking way to look at our lives and the choices we make. For me, the metaphor gives me a creative way to evaluate my choices and actions and frees me to see new ways of approaching areas where I’ve previously been stuck. It also helps to expose attitudes and actions I hadn’t even considered, blind spots that really don’t line up with the faith I profess.
Please comment below and let me know if this exercise is helpful. And share your questions and ideas that go beyond the ones I’ve listed above.
Andy and Christine will be leading a curated lunch during the Inhabit Conference in Seattle (April 28-29) exploring the connections between gardening, hospitality, and shalom.
As an Amazon Associate, I receive a small amount for purchases made through appropriate links.
Thank you for supporting Godspace in this way.
When referencing or quoting Godspace Light, please be sure to include the Author (Christine Sine unless otherwise noted), the Title of the article or resource, the Source link where appropriate, and ©Godspacelight.com. Thank you!