The fact of existing, occurring, or being present in a place is the definition of presence. There is an old hymn called “Were You There” most likely composed by African-American slaves in the 19th century. It was first published in William Eleazar Barton’s 1899 Old Plantation Hymns according to Wikipedia. In the United Methodist Hymnal, credit for the music adaptation was by William Farley Smith in 1986. The lyrics ask the serious question whether we were present during the crucifixion of Jesus. I believe we cannot escape the truth that we may not have been physically present, but we were certainly present in our contempt for all things unknown. One person without doubt who was present and without contempt was Mary Magdalene.
This Mary is not to be confused with the mother of Jesus. She was a Jewish woman that traveled with Jesus, witnessed his crucifixion and was the first to see him resurrected. She may have been a repentant prostitute though not supported by the gospels. She may have been the unknown sinner who anoints Jesus’ feet but also not substantiated as fact. There have been many movies, documentaries, plays, songs, etc. about Mary Magdalene that can lead our imagination to all sorts of conclusions to whom she was. I simply say she was always present. Can we say the same?
In this day at this time, can we remain in the presence? In 1 Corinthians 15:10, Paul says “I am what I am by God’s grace.” He says his grace was not wasted on him as he worked hard to deliver the message because of God’s grace. Do you think that those slaves that composed the lyrics to “Were You There” only doing it to ease their pain or was it there way of delivering the message of hope to all of us? You can read in John 20 and Mark 16 how Mary Magdalene’s presence, in my opinion, is how the message was received by us all. She was a true believer and a woman in a man’s world who was always present.
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