Easter Sunday
A Psalm I often like to quote and refer to myself is Psalm 30 which
says: Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. The Easter
cycle begins at night – as we state each time we celebrate Holy Communion. On
the night that he was betrayed – Jesus took bread and wine. From night it
proceeds into deep and bitter darkness which sees at noon, darkness coming over
the whole land until three in the afternoon. And then Jesus descending into the
depths of hell cries out – my God, my God, why have you abandoned me. He is in
the darkest of dark. The weight of the cross, the whipping, mocking, betrayal,
abandonment, the darkness of the tomb – it seemed like all hope was lost. But God, in his infinite wisdom, had a
different plan that Jesus declared when he cried out his last words – “it is
finished”.
The resurrection is a declaration of victory. Where
O death is your victory? Thanks be to
God who has given us the victory over death through Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus’
Resurrection is God's triumphal shout echoing through the ages, proclaiming
victory over sin and death. It's a testament to the power of love, a love
that conquers all as Paul states in 1 Corinthians 13 – love never fails. This
victory isn't just for Jesus; it's for all of us. His resurrection assures us that death is not
the end. It offers the promise of
eternal life, a life transformed by God's love. As Paul says in Romans 6: all
of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through
baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead
through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
With death defeated, Easter Sunday is a call to us to break free from
all our fears – the greatest of these fears being death: The things that hold
us back – fear, doubt, negativity and to replace them with faith, hope and love
which will remain. To let the light of
Christ's resurrection be the light that shatters the darkness within us and our
community. The tears of night have passed and now the joy of morning has
arrived.
Easter is a call to live differently.
To let the love of Christ fill
our hearts with compassion, forgiveness, and love for others. To be
the light of Christ bringing hope in a world that often feels lost and trapped
in the tears of night. The wars, the
climate fears, the racism, the continuing fears of Covid and other medical
conditions. The worst that these can do to us have been defeated when Jesus
rose on Easter Sunday morning to new life – victorious over death. Let us share
the message of resurrection with those around us, spreading the joy and love
that Christ so freely gave.
This Easter Sunday, let us celebrate not just the historical event from
2000 years ago, but the ongoing reality of Christ's presence in our lives. Let his love be the guiding force in all we
do. Let us go forth with the same
unwavering love that Jesus showed by refusing demands to ‘come down from the
cross’. The world may be full of challenges, but the victory of Easter Sunday
reminds us that we are not alone. We
have a God who loves us unconditionally, a God who conquered death, and a God
who promises a future filled with hope. Let us celebrate, let us rejoice, let
us live as Easter people – forever transformed by the power of the
resurrection!
The cycle of Easter is the cycle of life for us. We have travelled
through the valley of the shadow of death but we journey with Jesus to dwell in
the house of the Lord forever. Weeping may endure for the night but in the
morning comes joy and that joy lasts forever.
Easter is not just another day. It is a coming face to face with Jesus
who has completely triumphed over death. Today is the day to proclaim this
fabulous news that the world needs to hear. The Good News of the Resurrection of Jesus
Christ – the light that overcomes all the darkness that life can entail. Weeping has lasted only through the night but
now the joy of Easter morning has arrived.