“Easter isn’t cancelled; indeed, we need Easter as much as ever. The discovery of the risen Christ on the first Easter Day gave his followers new hope and fresh purpose, and we can all take heart from this. We know that coronavirus will not overcome us.
As dark as death can be – particularly for those suffering with grief – light and life are greater.
May the living flame of the Easter hope be a steady guide as we face the future.”
These words of HM Queen Elizabeth II are a powerful reminder of the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ on that first Easter morning and every Easter, in fact every day, since right up to today.
There is portrayal of Christians in the world today, often reinforced by the media and sadly by some Christians, which is that we are, at best, well meaning do-gooders. We might have some wishy-washy vague ‘faith’ in a divine being but to quite frankly we are to be slightly pitied for believing such silly stories. But that could not be further from the truth. Easter is about light over darkness, hope over despair but only because of one life-changing, history-changing, world-changing universal and unique truth – JESUS IS ALIVE.
The grave was empty and has been ever since. In the words of the angels in Luke’s gospel, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!” There is one individual who is not, nor has ever been, in lockdown. The risen Jesus! The Romans could not keep him in the grave, nor could anything or anyone else since, whether armies, ideologies, or even viruses! We might not be able to leave our homes but the risen Jesus is alive and well and moving throughout the world by his Spirit.
The wonderful Ben Fielding and Brooke Ligertwood song ‘What a beautiful name’ says it so well,
“Death could not hold You
The veil tore before You
You silence the boast of sin and grave
The heavens are roaring
The praise of Your glory
For You are raised to life again
You have no rival
You have no equal
Now and forever God You reign
Yours is the kingdom
Yours is the glory
Yours is the Name above all names”
As the Apostle Paul writes to the church in Corinth:
“Now, let me ask you something profound yet troubling. If you became believers because you trusted the proclamation that Christ is alive, risen from the dead, how can you let people say that there is no such thing as a resurrection? If there’s no resurrection, there’s no living Christ. And face it—if there’s no resurrection for Christ, everything we’ve told you is smoke and mirrors, and everything you’ve staked your life on is smoke and mirrors. Not only that, but we would be guilty of telling a string of barefaced lies about God, all these affidavits we passed on to you verifying that God raised up Christ—sheer fabrications, if there’s no resurrection.” (1 Corinthians 15:12-15, The Message Translation)
So, as Her Majesty said in her Easter address ‘the discovery of the risen Christ … gave his followers new hope and fresh purpose’ and that reality is the same for Jesus’ followers today as it was 2,000 years ago.
New hope!
Fresh purpose!
A living reality, that is neither theoretical nor imagery or allegory. It is true, it is real and it brings power, life, hope and purpose to anyone who will accept it and embrace it.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.” (1 Peter 1:3-4a NIV)
Happy Easter – Pasg Hapus!