He is Risen Writing

by Audrey Frank @AudreyCFrank

Mary Magdalene came and informed the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what Jesus had said to her(John 20:18).

One year ago, I had the honor of being a scribe for a group of people in the persecuted church who had escaped capture and imprisonment. My job was simple: write down what they reported about the ordeal.

I taped craft paper along a wall and listened for five long days as a counselor carefully led them through a debrief of the timeline, their emotions, and thoughts. Some days, I simply stood facing the wall immobilized, pen in hand, my back to the sacred group, weeping as they reported the faithfulness of Jesus.

They were no mere strangers. Many of them were people I love deeply. People with whom I have lived life large and joyful, walked through losses and births, celebrated the joys of children growing up, and wept through the sorrows of saying goodbye. Persecution had come home to us.

As they feared for their lives, trusted in God, and crossed borders in the dark holding the tiny trusting hands of grandchildren, they saw the Lord. And for one week, they told us what He said to them. I was simply a witness and a scribe, recording the glory of it all. The words did not need my crafting; they shone with the brilliance of nothing less than Resurrection morning.

Words given in the light of Resurrection are life words. They give life to the one who hears them, and that life is meant to be shared.

I love Jesus’ practice of giving to His own so that they may have something of worth to give to others. Then, as often is the case, others become His own also. And the cycle of Resurrection glory continues.

Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her (John 20:16-18).

Jesus met Mary in her sorrow on Resurrection morning and called her by name. His instruction was simple: Go and tell the disciples what I have said.

The resurrected Lord has a habit of calling those He resurrects by name (see the story of Lazarus in John 11). Jesus was not the only resurrection on Easter. Mary’s hope also rose from the dead that morning.

Has Jesus called you by name? Many say that He speaks loudest at the graveside. Let us not be surprised if the graveside of our buried hopes is the place where we encounter the risen Savior and receive words for others.

Because Christ is risen, we have words to share.

Go, and tell them what He has said to you. This is the liberty of He is Risen writing.

TWEETABLE

He is Risen Writing from author @AudreyCFrank on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Audrey Frank is an author, speaker, and storyteller. The stories she shares are brave and true. They give voice to those whose words are silenced by shame, the hard things in life that don’t make sense, and the losses that leave us wondering if we will survive. Audrey and her family have spent over twenty years living and working among different cultures and world views, and she has found that God’s story of redemption spans every geography and culture. He is the God of Instead, giving honor instead of shame, gladness instead of mourning, hope instead of despair. Although she has three different degrees in communication and intercultural studies, Audrey’s greatest credential is that she is known and loved by the One who made her.

Audrey is the author of Covered Glory: The Face of Honor and Shame in the Muslim World (Harvest House Publishers), an outpouring of Audrey’s heart to introduce others to the God of Instead. Shame is not unique to the developing world, the plight of the women behind veils, young girls trafficked across borders; shame is lurking in hearts everywhere. Through powerful stories from women around the world, Covered Glory illuminates the power of the Gospel to remove shame, giving honor instead. Available at favorite booksellers: BARNES & NOBLE, BOOKS A MILLION, AMAZON.