Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb” [John 20:1]
This Eastertide we rejoice in the light and glory of the risen Christ, the Prince of Peace, in a world marked by darkness and continued conflict. For some churches throughout the world, Easter has long been celebrated in the shadow of war and instability. We think of the Church in Sri Lanka, in Palestine, in Yemen, in Syria and now Ukraine where the resurrection and promise of Christ is celebrated in the midst of the cruel reality of the killing of civilians, displacement of millions of people and the struggle against cold, hunger and want. Even as we rejoice in the resurrection of Jesus we hold before God the countless places across the world where such deep suffering is seen and grieved by God, who shares our life in Christ and knows our pain just as he knew the pain of the passion and crucifixion. In this season we also remember those suffering of our brothers and sisters across the world who face the grave and present threat of the climate crisis denied, or contested, or ignored by many.
Jane Haining was a Scots woman, a teacher of English in Hungary whose class of 30 Jewish children were sent to Auschwitz and who chose to go with them and indeed refused to leave them when she was offered safe passage out of Hungary. She and the children died, among so many others.
The Revd Dr Sam Wells has suggested that the most important word in the New Testament apart from the name of Jesus might be the word “with”. He makes the point that Jesus spent a week in Jerusalem facing death and destruction and 30 years living in Nazareth being with us, building community and belonging. The pattern of Jesus’ life should remind us that God is with us, Jesus shares our life, bears our pain, and we are called to live in the same way. Our discipleship should be shaped and formed by who we spend time with. Much of the work of the Free Church chaplains in prisons, hospitals, universities and schools, and with the armed forces, is an exercising of the ministry of accompaniment and presence.
In this season of hope we give thanks to God for all those who have reached out to refugees and spoken out against evil, for those who wish to be more welcoming than our government is being, and we are reminded that our fellowship in the Gospel when we speak out in the public square and act together as people of faith is more powerful than any wickedness. Generous love, welcome and hospitality gives hope and transforms, and contrasts with military might or the creation of fear. The light of Christ shines in the darkness and it cannot be extinguished.
Photo by Ronak Valobobhai on Unsplash
For all these signs of great hope, we give thanks. We must celebrate life conquering death, wherever and whenever we see it. We must be vigilant in order to be people of faith who see “the bright field’ as the poet RS Thomas describes it, rather than miss it by rushing onto the next thing, the next task, or look back on “what was”. Another poet, Elizabeth Barrett Browning declared in Aurora Leigh,
“Earth’s crammed with heaven
And every common bush afire with God
But only he who sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit round and pluck blackberries.”
The power of the love of God which raises Jesus is available to us and all the world and we are “afire” with the love of God. Are we attending?
“While it is still dark” is a very significant phrase in this account of the resurrection of Jesus. Those who went first to the tomb of Jesus expected to see a dead body and brought oils and spices to anoint it. They were expecting death but instead met resurrection. Our calling this Easter remains the same as Christ’s call to his disciples: to be people who witness to the resurrection. When we, too, see and believe (John 20:9), we can be bringers of new life wherever we are. We too are called to stand with the oppressed, the marginalised and the forgotten. We too are called to cry out for God’s justice and mercy to prevail, to denounce injustice and reject inequality in all the ways they appear in our world.
In St John’s Gospel, Jesus appears to a mourning woman and she is consoled. His beloved disciple, fearful and confused, sees and believes. Thomas doubts, and yet in the wounds of Jesus he finds the truth of Christ’s offer of transformation and peace. Jesus welcomes those without status and without value in the eyes of the world. Jesus stands with them. They rise with him. The resurrection of Jesus is not a private event, it is a promise that we too will rise with him.
God’s message is made known through the risen Jesus and through us to the wounded, the grieving, the confused, and the rejected. We have a Saviour who overcomes not with might and strength but a pain bearer who does not turn his back on darkness, suffering and scarring, but bears it all for us, and so transforms it.
We must remember that while it was still dark and all seemed hopeless on the first Easter Sunday, and the women went with heavy hearts to a tomb to anoint a dead body, Jesus had already risen. Death had already been defeated. The first day of God’s new creation had already begun. While much seems dark and difficult, the work of God goes on, loving this creation and loving us, and through God’s work of love we are redeemed and transformed.
Every blessing for Eastertide,
Helen Cameron