An Empty Tomb

I had to say goodbye to this place. It was a studio where I painted, a chapel where I prayed and met God, an oasis in a crazy world, a sanctuary where I wept, a field where I recognized love, a cloud where I found peace and joy.

As I stood looking at the empty space, I thought of Mary Magdalene, who we celebrate today, standing in front of the empty tomb of Christ. All of these feeling that I was having, sadness, joy, fear, excitement, were all things that she probably felt too. But importantly she recognized the importance of the work she had been doing, how things were going to change, how love won. 

Life is full of these empty tomb moments. We’re meant to move on from things, to recognize what we accomplished there, realize the importance of relationship, remembering to live out who we are. Mary Magdalene can be seen as a great example of this and much more, that being a true apostle meant that doing what is right doesn’t mean doing what is popular. As the apostle to the apostles and the first to see the resurrected Christ, she’s also a reminder of the important role women play in our church, a role that we must strive to bring back into today’s church. As I left behind this space and went about into a chaotic world, I was reminded of Mary Magdalene and the importance of all that she gave to us: the change that is to come, the importance of all that each of us does for the world, but most importantly that love will win in the end.

To some, Studio 35 is now just a small, empty space, but to me it will always be another place where people and moments became sacred.