Lenten Lecture 2025
Sunday, April 6
4p to 5p 
doors open at 3:20p
 
Myers Memorial UMC
Christian Fellowship Center (CFC)
 
Suggested Donation: $15 payable at the door
(cash, check, cards accepted)
Join Beth Maczka for a thought-provoking lecture as she takes us on a journey through scripture, art, and history to trace the steps of Mary Magdalene. In Mark 14:9, Jesus declares, “Truly I tell you, wherever the Gospel is preached in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.”
 
 
Questions?
Contact Rev. Drew T. Nix 
Drew at MyersMemorialUMC dot org
Beth will explore why Mary Magdalene is often absent from much of art and liturgy, especially in relation to this profound passage in Mark. Maczka  will highlight the absence of images that depict her in positions of authority, as seen in the Gospels, and advocate for the commissioning of art that honors women in such roles. Beth invites us to celebrate Easter fully, beginning with anointing and culminating with Mary Magdalene’s proclamation of the Resurrection—becoming the Apostle to the Apostles.
 
 
 
 
La Unción by Lázaro Cabellos Fernández, Cuba, 2022.

Commissioned by Beth Maczka

About Beth:
Beth Maczka is a graduate of Vanderbilt Divinity School, where she earned a Master of Theological Studies in 2023. She received awards for her Master’s Thesis and New Testament scholarship. A long-term former resident of Asheville, NC, Beth served several local nonprofits, most recently as the CEO of the YWCA of Asheville from 2012 to 2019.

Beth’s academic journey led her to India as an undergraduate at Davidson College, where she studied religious and cultural traditions, Gandhian philosophy, and women’s spiritual and economic development. In recent years, her focus on the Divine Feminine has led her on two research pilgrimages in Europe, where she explored the significance of images of women in Early Christian and Medieval Art.

Beth has presented two papers at the 2024 Society of Biblical Literature Conference, both of which are under consideration for publication in peer-reviewed journals:

  • “The Absence of the Anointing of Jesus’ Head in Church-Commissioned Art”
  • “Mary Magdalene as Orante: A Study of Three Sarcophagi in the Languedoc Region”

Beth currently resides in Nashville, TN, where she continues her research and studies at Vanderbilt Divinity School. She enjoys sharing her images and research through lectures, retreats, and guest sermons.