The Uncomfortable Side of Christianity

AM Psalm 116 • Zephaniah 3:14-20 • Mark 15:37-16:7
PM Psalm 30, 149 • Exodus 15:19-21 • 2 Corinthians 1:3-7

The Old Testament passages from Zephaniah and Exodus listed for the feast of St Mary Magdalene say that both consolation and vengeance are integral to bringing God’s plan for humanity to fruition. Zephaniah says that the Lord has taken away judgement against his daughters and will be a warrior on their behalf. The snippet from Exodus tells us about how Miriam sang when she saw that God saved the Israelites by drowning the Egyptians who were hoping to kill them.

Recently when I was at a social function, a person who was lamenting about the portrayal of Jesus in her childhood church said to me, “They always talked about Jesus flipping tables.” She would have rather they focused on healing and inclusion instead of on judgement and vengeance. But what do we miss when we focus on healing in the absence of justice?

Mary Magdalene experienced Jesus’s whole ministry. She received healing and heard Jesus rebuking the powerful oppressors of her time. She saw Jesus die and was at his tomb three days later to give him a proper burial. She was one of the first to see Jesus risen. She saw the sin, redemption, and reconciliation that we read about in the Gospels, and she knew that what must be done to bring God’s Kingdom to Earth is not all positive and easy. I hope that while we take comfort from God’s promise of redemption, we continue to allow room for necessary and uncomfortable corrective action.

Written by Haley Hixson

I go to the 11:00 service and wash dishes at Community Meals, bake communion bread, co-mentor Education for Ministry, and base a large chunk of my social life around this church.