This summer’s theme is The Dinner Guest Series. Each service leader will choose a person/persons that they’d like to have dinner with and then base a sermon around the teachings of their life. This Sunday’s ‘dinner guest’ is Mary Magdalene. Led by Martha Mason.
Summary:
This sermon explores the historical and spiritual legacy of Mary Magdalene, challenging her long-standing reputation as a repentant prostitute. The speaker explains that this negative narrative was a deliberate fabrication by early church leaders to undermine female authority and protect the emerging institutional hierarchy. By examining the Gospel of Mary and other non-canonical texts, the sermon highlights her true role as the “apostle to the apostles” and Jesus’s closest companion. These ancient writings suggest that Mary’s teachings focused on an inner spiritual knowing and the pursuit of becoming fully human. Ultimately, the sermon presents her as a symbol of mystical faith that existed before the church standardized its doctrines and erased competing perspectives.