One of the consistent patterns in human history is to pine for “the good old days.” We look at the past through rose-colored glasses and imagine how much better that time was to ours. But, quite frankly, the good old days had lots of bad in them — think of the overt racism and rampant sexism that characterized the 1950s. The Bible is full of a similar pining for the good old days. Wasn’t it great when David was king, they would say. The Risen Jesus warns Mary that she shouldn’t pine for the good old days when he walked the dusty roads of Galilee. Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.” Don’t hold to what was, see the new thing that God is doing. And in the new thing, Mary Magdalene was transformed into the apostle to the apostles. Easter tells us that these are the good old days.
