Pr. Alice Kerr Laird, preaching

In the gospels of Matthew, John, and the longer ending of Mark, Mary Magdalene is the first to see the risen Christ, who commissions her to tell the other disciples the good news. In almost all the lists of women who followed Jesus, she is named first. Through the centuries, in the Western church she has been the object of misconceptions about her life and her relationship to Jesus. Now we recover her role as leader among Jesus’ followers and as witness to the resurrection. Like Moses’ sister, she came running with the good news that the one who had been given up for dead was restored to life.

Ruth 1:6-18 Ruth stays with Naomi Psalm 73:23-28 I have made you my refuge, Lord God, to tell of all your works. (Ps. 73:28) Acts 13:26-33a The raising of Jesus fulfills God’s promise John 20:1-2, 11-18 Mary Magdalene meets Jesus in the garden