What Do You Expect This Sunday?

A woman named Mary went to a grave site early one morning. She wanted to see the temporary burial site of a dear friend. Her friend had been executed for a capital crime. Mary's friend's body had been stored in an available space for a time while everyone had a couple of days off because of a religious holiday. Reports vary regarding what Mary expected to do there. Some say she went there that morning with a couple of other women; other's think maybe she was alone. A couple of people said she went there to offer help in getting her friend's body ready for a permanent burial. Maybe she just went there to cry for a while.

In any event, Mary expected certain things. She expected that she'd need help if she wanted to see her friend's body one last time. She expected she'd have to cower to get help, especially from any men that might be there. (Mary had something of a bad reputation according to some people.) She expected that good people are often forgotten in spite of the good they do. And she expected that dead people stay dead. And after they die, life just plods on as usual.

Nothing that Mary expected happened that morning.

If you've already decided that Easter 2010 will be pretty much like Easter 2009, whether you make your way to some place of worship or just spend the day helping kids find chocolate eggs, then you really haven't done Easter. Sorry. If, however, you are one of the few who approach this Sunday with the realization that everything you expected is about to be turned upside down, then you will be closer to Mary's experience and the impact of the resurrection day than you know.