By Angela Ryo

I know we’re about to enter Lent, but my thoughts jump ahead to Easter as I ponder the theme of Jesus as my friend. 

In an essay on the resurrection, theologian Chris Barnes reminds us of what actually matters: “The question that Easter asks of us is not, ‘Do we believe in the doctrine of the resurrection?’ Easter doesn’t ask, ‘Do you believe?’ but ‘Have you encountered the risen Christ?’” And the question I’d like to ask you today is, “Have YOU encountered the risen Christ?” 

Perhaps the answer to that question lies in how Mary encounters Jesus. Mary meets Jesus because she remains in the darkness a little while longer than Peter and John in John 20:1-18. Darkness is not where we want to be, but darkness is where Jesus often comes to us. After all, resurrection happened in the darkness when no one was watching. When Jesus was lying in the darkness of the tomb, only God knew that Jesus was really in the darkness of the womb. Mary didn’t know that, but she endured the darkness just a little longer because she had a flicker of hope that she would find her beloved friend, Jesus. 

It is in darkness that we encounter Jesus. And sometimes, we may not even recognize him because it’s just so dark. But remain in it a little longer, and soon you realize that what you thought was the darkness of the tomb is really the darkness of the womb. That a new life is being generated in that darkness, ready to be pushed out into the world. 

What darkness surrounds you today? What darkness surrounds our world today? 

When we feel like we’re groping in the darkness of the tomb, remember that Jesus is with us, turning our tombs into wombs. 

One of the final steps in my ordination process was to go before the Committee on Preparation for Ministry as they reviewed my answers to some of their essay questions. One of the essays was on “Who is Jesus Christ?” I wrote a particularly academic essay on Jesus, citing a few outstanding theologians. I was out to impress. They all seemed happy with my answer until one person asked, “Angela, you say a lot about what other scholars have said about Jesus, but who is Jesus to you?” Whoa. I was not anticipating that question. 

So I reached deep into my heart for the answer. Big mistake! In the middle of a very important ordination interview, I burst into tears as I heard myself say, “Jesus is my…best friend! Jesus was there for me when I first came to America and couldn’t speak English; Jesus was there for me when I got bullied in middle school; Jesus was there for me when I had to miss classes in college because I was so depressed; Jesus was there for me when I had to drop out of seminary. Jesus is the only one who never left my side.” 

Jesus was there for me in what seemed like the darkness of the tomb, reminding me again and again that it was really the darkness of the womb, where new life was about to be born. 

One of my favorite hymns is “In the Garden” because it is in the garden that Mary encounters Jesus. John is the only gospel writer who places the tomb of Jesus in the garden. The garden of betrayal, pain, and death has now been transformed into a garden of new life. It is in that garden Jesus calls you by name, just as Jesus called Mary by name, and she knew it was him. We’re in the garden now. The resurrected Jesus is calling your name. What would you like to say to him? What would you like to do with your friend Jesus?

Angela Ryo currently serves as Pastor at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Munster, IN. She enjoys taking long walks, reading, listening to NPR, and drinking good coffee with friends and strangers alike.