No More On The Outside........

No More On The Outside……..

Zephaniah 3:14-end

Matthew 28:1-10 & 16-end

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

Our reading from Matthew’s gospel ends with perhaps one of the most well-known of Jesus’s commands to his disciples. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matt 28:19-20)

It comes at the end of a narrative which sees both of the Mary’s, Magdalene and the mother of Jesus visit the tomb of the one who only a couple of days earlier they had seen endure a horrendous and tortuous death by crucifixion. They would have gone to the tomb to weep and mourn for Jesus, grief-stricken and probably at a complete loss as to what to do now!

These feelings of utter despair are suddenly all turned completely upside down at the appearance of an angel who informs them that in fact the Jesus they sought, who had indeed been crucified was now raised to new life. It’s easy to picture them, standing there, mouths wide-open in astonishment at all that is happening to them…….both the angel and the message. Could this be their grief playing tricks on them in their state of mind? Nevertheless they go, quickly, at the angels behest, with a mixture probably of pure terror and high excitement to pass on the angels message to the other disciples.

 And I say “other” disciples deliberately. We are so used to thinking of the disciples as the group of twelve (now eleven) men who figure so prominently in the gospels that the role of others, often women, can be easily overlooked or relegated to a mere footnote in the story. Yet these two women were no less disciples than the men, and it is significant that it was to the women the angel spoke and Jesus made his first post-resurrection appearance.

And it is significant because just as in his earthly life and ministry as Jesus embraced and welcomed those who were often at the edge of society (and in his day that was very much the place of women), so also in his death and resurrection he chooses to appear first to those who perhaps the chattering classes of the day would somehow look down upon. It almost echoes what he says earlier in Matthew’s gospel in a different context in the parable of the Labourers in the Vineyard “So the last will be first, and the first will be last” (Matt 20:16). These two women, undoubtedly used to being pushed to one side, ignored or looked down upon were now privileged to be the very first to witness the risen Jesus. And it is they who are given the task of breaking this joyous news to the rest of the disciples. It is ironic perhaps that given the honoured place Jesus gives to his women disciples alongside his male disciples that the church which bears his name has for so long struggled to reflect his full welcome and inclusion for all.

Our first reading, from Zephaniah is a song of joy! A song that speaks of bringing the outcast, the lame, the downtrodden……..the excluded, into the Kingdom of God. It speaks of a God who rejoices over such people with gladness. It’s not of course that he doesn’t also rejoice over those over those whose lives are full of good fortune, but his rejoicing and love are wide and great enough to embrace all who will receive. But there seems to be a particular emphasis in him reaching out to the previously unreachable.

For generations the Jewish people had regarded themselves as the chosen people of God, the elect, who were set apart from others (Gentiles). This “Great Commission” at the end of Matthew’s gospel widens God’s favour to all, not just the select few. Those who had maybe previously thought of themselves as belonging to a select band of specially chosen handpicked elite are told to go and share what they know, bring others into the fold. Include those who had been previously excluded!

Just as he first encountered the women at the tomb and turned their tears into joy and amazement, so we are invited to encounter him also. Just as they ran to share their news of the risen Lord with the other disciples, so we too are invited to join them and share that same news. Whether we share that news literally with the nations, or perhaps with our friends and families or our neighbourhood, we too have a role to play in bringing in those who may somehow not feel as though they belong.

 And perhaps we feel sometimes that is where we are ourselves, sitting or standing on the outside, sometimes ignored…..often overlooked. Yet, it is to you that I would say look at the two women at the tomb who would have felt very much the same and see the difference that their contribution made to the beginning of what would eventually become the church. No more on the outside looking in, but very much on the inside looking out and indeed playing a full role in taking the good news of the Gospel to others.

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