In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

     Sometimes, Christianity can be confusing. One morning recently, I had opened up the aumbry and was polishing the gold ciborium, the container that holds our reserved hosts. And as I was trying to remove some fingerprints, I was rubbing and rubbing the side of it. At which time one of the preschoolers who had been watching from the Atrium poked his head in and said, in all seriousness, "Pastor Dave, when you rub that, does a genie come out?" I guess that comes from watching too much "Aladdin"! And, what we do in the Church can be confusing.

     And then, at men's coffee last week, one of the fellows mentioned that things are confused in the Episcopal Church today-it seems no one is playing chess anymore, because they can't tell the difference between a bishop and a.? Well, see Mike Olsen or Art Schwall if you want the rest of the story.

     And then there was the confused young man who was hoping to get into heaven, waiting at the pearly gates, but before entering, St. Peter asked the man if he knew what Easter was about. To which the man answered, "On Good Friday, Jesus was crucified, was buried, and on the third day, Jesus arose and came out of the tomb-saw his shadow, and there were six more weeks of winter." You see, people do get confused!

     And is there anyone or anything in Christianity today surrounded by more confusion, than St. Mary Magdalene, whom we commemorate today? Confusion about who she was, and wasn't-and what she did, and didn't do, and what her significance is, for the Church and the world today. In generations past, there wasn't such confusion, as Christians simply heard what the Bible said, and believed it. Now, there are all kinds of rumors, secrets, and supposed truths being circulated about Mary, that have been stirred up, at least, by Dan Brown and his fictional "DaVinci Code" book. Now, many people are just sure that Jesus and Mary were lovers, got married, had a child, and supposedly that child is the Holy Grail, and the Jesus bloodline has continued through Jesus and Mary's descendants-which was suppressed by the male apostles, the male popes and bishops and clergy, who wanted only to solidify and protect their male superiority and domination of the Church and the world. But alas, those who believe such things are confused-and the proof of that is the entirety of Holy Scripture in general, and our gospel account for today, in particular--the account of the resurrection of our Lord, and Mary's visit to the tomb! So, with such strong information about Mary in the Scriptures, why the confusion?

     Of course, some of the confusion has arisen from the Church, herself, but not necessarily from any misogyny-not because men in the church harbored a deep-seated hatred of women. The one who caused the most mixing of information about Mary Magdalene was Pope Gregory the Great in 591 who declared in a sermon, "She whom Luke calls the sinful woman, whom John calls Mary of Bethany, we believe to be the Mary from whom seven devils were ejected according to Mark." While a sermon by a pope was not considered an official doctrinal position, the truth of the matter is probably that Pope Gregory was simply reflecting the common understanding of the time-and it was common at that time to attempt to simplify the characters in the Bible-if there were other women around Jesus, some of whom were named Mary, but were unspecified Marys, it seemed logical that these would be the same Mary. But this was not an attempt to "harlotize" Mary, as University of Detroit professor Jane Schaberg characterizes it-because there was a similar merging of biblical persons named John. It was a means, at the time, of simplifying Scripture, and it happened to a man, as well as to a woman. And the fact is, as time passed, the Roman Catholic Church rectified this misunderstanding, declaring in the revision of the Missal-the liturgical handbook of the Church, that Mary Magdalene is not Mary of Bethany, nor does Scripture make it clear that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. What the Church has come back to, is Holy Scripture, and two key passages with regard to Mary of Magdala. First, Luke 8:2, where it is recorded, "Soon afterward Jesus went on through cities and villages, preaching and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some of the women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out." This is the first mention we have in Scripture of Mary, and the only definitive description of who she was and why she was a follower of Jesus-because He had cured her of demon possession. And while Mary is often thought to be the sinner woman who knelt at Jesus' feet and anointed his feet with ointment and washed his feet with her hair, earning for her the singular title, "penitent", because she had been forgiven much, Scripture does not name this woman as Mary of Magdala. The reason this penitent woman is thought to be Mary Magdalene, is probably because the mention of Mary comes immediately after Jesus forgives the woman of her sin. And yet, this is only an assumption, because Scripture doesn't clearly state that the two women are the same. So, while Mary was surely with Jesus and twelve at other times, the only other specific mention of Mary, is at the cross on Good Friday, and at the tomb, early on Easter morning. And her importance, her significance, her stature in the Church arises from, and is forever secured by, her presence at these two places-at cross, and tomb. And the Church has never, ever denied Mary Magdalene special honor in the Body of Christ, nor ever denied Mary's place there, at the cross and tomb. Which surely, the men of the early Church would've denied, if they were concerned about a woman, having so central a place, in the resurrection of Jesus! Yes, without a doubt, women in the ancient middle east took a back seat to men in many ways. Yes, when Mary Magdalene saw Jesus risen from death, and went to tell the apostles about it, in Mark, the men didn't believe it, and in Luke, we are told they disciples thought it an idle tale. But who would believe Jesus, whom they'd seen dead and buried, could be alive again? Was this merely men, discounting the word of a woman, or would any one of us have difficulty believing in a bodily, physical resurrection? The fact is, as recorded by all of the gospels and attested to by the Church throughout the ages, that Mary Magdalene is the primary witness to the fundamental truths of the Christian proclamation: that she saw the crucifixion and death of Jesus, that she saw him buried, that she was the first to see him risen from death-and she was the first to run to share that good news with others! And the entire Church of Jesus Christ, in the east and the west, commemorates her on July 22nd, and after Mary the mother of our Lord, Mary Magdalene is the most widely commemorated woman in Christendom! All of this, in a Church that supposedly has sought to suppress her, and silence her, and vilify her! The truth is nothing could be further from the truth! It was the Evangelists themselves, who recorded Mary Magdalene as among the first to be at the tomb, and to see the resurrected Christ! It was the early Church which passed on the tradition that Mary Magdalene was the first to see and speak with Jesus! It was the same Pope Gregory the Great in 561 who said in a sermon, "We should reflect on Mary's attitude and the great love she felt for Christ-that though the disciples had left the tomb, she remained.and so it happened that the woman who stayed behind to seek Christ was the only one to see him." And it was Bernard of Clairvaux, in 1153 who described Mary as "the apostle to the apostles". And it was Martin Luther, of blessed memory, who wrote, "While the others had left the tomb, Mary Magdalene remained in the Garden for women are more fervent. This is something to ponder", says Luther, "that the Lord first appeared to Mary Magdalene, and it is something to consider that Jesus first appeared to a woman. It is a great comfort, that women, are the type, the model, of those who are able to hear the gospel! In these women", writes Luther, "there is a great, unconquerable strength, out of the Word, that stands firm."

     So, we have to ask, where is the misogyny? Where is the male desire to ignore or deny Mary Magdalene? What we see in the Church throughout the ages, is nothing but recognition, respect, and a call for us all to ponder Mary as she sought the Christ, and to also, seek Him diligently, that we may indeed, with Mary, see Him whom we seek! That together with Mary, and the other women, we may all become, those who are able to hear the gospel, and receive a great, unconquerable strength, out of the Word, that helps us to stand firm! Because that's what we need, today. When we are confused in faith and life; when we are struggling with questions and doubts, when we wrestle with uncertainty, when we are fearful and anxious -when we feel alone and abandoned by God, and wonder if we're on our own; when we lose our job; when a loved one or friend dies; when our family member is in the hospital, or deployed to Iraq, and we're feeling lonely and forsaken; in all of the difficult times in life, when we need the Risen Savior to be with us, to be our companion and guide-let us, with Mary, be fervent in our devotion, and fervent in our watching and waiting-that the Lord will come to us, and speak our name, and be with us-as our incarnate, resurrected, ever-present Lord, Jesus Christ! Because, don't be confused-that is what we celebrate today-not so much Mary Magdalene-but the Risen Lord, Jesus Christ-who died and rose again; who ascended, but incarnates himself again for us, in the bread and wine of Holy Communion; who comes to us, again and again, surprising us at times, as he calls our name, and is-God with us!

     In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.