For Easter 1978 David McKeithen, a member of Sojourners Fellowship, wrote a musical which was shared at our Sunday morning worship. Following are his reflections and two of the songs, which we offer as our gift of resurrection joy to you during this special season. --The Editors
Mary of Magdala had been crying outside the tomb, not knowing where the Lord had been taken. Jesus, standing there, asked her why she was crying and who she was looking for. Mistaking him for the gardener, she said, "Oh, sir, if you have carried him away, please tell me where you have laid him and I will take him away." Then Jesus simply said "Mary," and immediately she knew him. "Master," she replied, and went to him to hold him.
One Holy Week I was working with this Easter passage in John 20. I was particularly drawn into it by the interchange between Mary and Jesus. That encounter pictured a knowing love that each shared for the other -- the shared love of sister and brother, of child of God and risen Lord.
John writes that Jesus sent Mary on to share the resurrection news with the disciples. I imagined her excitement and joy as she hurried to tell her friends. I could also understand the fear and confusion of the disciples as they gathered behind the bolted doors and received the news. The final scene in the passage is that of the risen Lord himself coming and standing among the fearful disciples, offering his peace and empowerment in his Spirit.
As I worked (played is a better word) with the scriptures, I began to add simple music lines to them. An Easter scripture, music, dance, and teaching began to take shape. I shared the idea and a few of the songs with the folks in the worship planning group, and they encouraged me to pull it together for our Easter Sunday worship. I particularly wanted to bring to the worship two parts of John 20 -- both the tender encounter between Mary and Jesus, and the encouragement and empowerment for mission that the Spirit brought to the church. A musical grew in my mind as the bearer of the message.
John 20:1-22 was broken into four sections (verses 1-9; 10-16; 17-18; and 19-22). A segment was read by a reader and then sung and interpreted with dance. Our fellowship and a neighborhood filled with gifted people provided the participants. About midweek I began to share the songs and format with different ones.
A choir convened on Thursday night and learned the music. Jackie Sabath, Lindsay Jane Dubs, and Joe Roos created the dance. An orchestra -- guitars, bass, organ, Charlie and Elizabeth Garriott's Indian drum, and a kettle (literally) drum -- was pulled together on Saturday morning. And a passel of neighborhood kids learned a song and created two dances on Saturday afternoon.
The worship began Easter morning with "Good Morning, This Is the Day," scribed here. It was used as a pre-processional song of praise and welcome. Since last Easter, we have enjoyed adding new words to it and using it in other worship contexts.
The worship spirit was set by the processional. The kids came dancing in with Jackie, Joe, and Lindsay, singing and clapping to a soul-filled drumful song called "Rolled Away." "The stone is gone; it's rolled away."
Peter and John's race to the tomb to search for Jesus' body followed, along with Mary's song, "Where Have They Laid My Lord?" Jackie and Joe then captured with power the interchange between Mary and Jesus at the tomb, and the choir sang a response to the reading of verses 17 and 18.
Finally, "I Come and Stand Among You," also scribed here, was sung by choir and congregation, and danced by Jackie. As she danced, Jackie began to draw the children into a dancing circle. Others came and joined the circle, celebrating the Lord risen and in our midst.
The movement of the scripture, music, and dance then brought us into the Eucharist. As we shared the bread and wine we tasted and saw what we had heard, sung, and danced, celebrating as a community Christ's peace and resurrection life among us.
David McKeithen was a member of Sojourners Fellowship when this article appeared.
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