EASTER SUNDAY

The Dawn, the Name, and the Love That Rises

Scripture for the Day

“He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.”
—Matthew 28:6

“Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’ She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, ‘Rabboni!’”
—John 20:16

Sacred Invitation

Before the sun is fully up—
before the others believe—
Mary Magdalene goes.

She does not go expecting a miracle.
She goes to mourn.
To anoint.
To stay close to the place where love was last seen.

And instead, she finds the stone rolled away.
She runs. She returns.
She weeps.

And then—
Jesus says her name.

Not a sermon.
Not an explanation.
Just Mary.

And in that moment, everything changes.

This is the beginning of resurrection.
Not in fireworks, but in intimacy.
In presence.
In love that calls us by name.

Extended Reflection: The Characters of the Dawn

Mary Magdalene comes weeping and leaves running.
She is the first witness. The first preacher.
She mistakes Jesus for the gardener—
because resurrection looks ordinary,
until it speaks your name.

The other Marys and women come carrying spices.
They carry grief in their hands—
and find joy breaking open in their bones.

Peter and John come later, breathless.
They see. They wonder.
But they do not yet understand.

The angel appears with gentleness and awe—
not to frighten, but to invite:
Come and see. He is not here.

Jesus comes in quietness,
in a garden,
to a woman who stayed.

This is the story of Easter:
Those who linger in the dark are the first to see the light.
Those who do not run from death
are the first to hear their name spoken by life.

Somatic Practice: The Rising Breath

Step outside before the day fully begins.
If you can, go barefoot on the earth.
Stand in stillness.
Let the breeze touch your skin.
Let the light fall on your face.

Breathe deeply.

Inhale: “You call me by name.”
Exhale: “I am made new.”

Let the breath rise in your chest.
Let it fill you.
Let it resurrect something in you that was buried.

You do not have to feel joyful.
You only need to breathe.
Resurrection comes in the body, too.

A Shared Practice: The Name at the Tomb

Write your name on a piece of paper.

Hold it gently.

Say aloud:
“He calls me by name.”
Then beneath your name, write one word:
Alive.

Place the paper somewhere sacred:
your journal, your altar, your mirror.
Let it remind you that resurrection has already begun.

Closing Prayer

Risen Christ,
You did not shout your return.
You whispered it—
in a name,
in a garden,
in the quiet of morning light.

You came first to those who stayed close.
To the broken-hearted.
To the ones who kept watch.

Let me be like them.

Let me go to the tomb,
not because I expect joy,
but because I still love.

Let me listen for your voice—
not in thunder,
but in tenderness.

Call my name.
Call me alive.

And let me leave the tomb behind.

Amen.