Resurrection is the assurance of love, forgiveness and hope at a cosmic scale: in Christ, God's redemptive power defeats sin and death; in baptism we die and rise with him; in the Spirit, we live with new hope.
The hashtag #EasterMeans was used by Christians to say something about the meaning of resurrection in the realm of Twitter: love wins, creation made new, light overcoming darkness, Jesus lives, joy and hope, freedom.
We are called to live out of that reality day by day. The readings at morning and evening prayer during Easter Week draw us into the full sweep of salvation history: of God's steadfast love drawing us back into right relationship with him and restoring us to live rightly with all creatures.
The readings from Exodus take us back to the calling of God's ancient people the Jews; the stories from Acts and the epistles, reflect the hopes and challenges of the early Christian communities; they are also full of promise, pointing us forward to a time when all nations will worship.
The psalms and canticles we say, resound with songs of praise; our songs echo that joy today as Alleluias resound in this building; on our hearts and lips.
As we celebrate the Euchasrist, we continue to be drawn to the garden and the empty tomb. Our Gospel readings confront us again and again with the the wonder and confusion of the resurrection morning. We inhabit a complex web of stories; we are invited to pay attention to the particular details of these narratives. We are being offered space to consider God's purposes for the whole world: resurrection as fulfilment of promise.
The cinematic retelling of the story of Exodus, "The Prince of Egypt", had the tagline: The power is real; the story is for ever; the time is now. Perhaps we can take that as out tagline for this Eastertide and beyond.
The power is real: the people of Israel owed its freedom entirely to God; the story continues to be retold and to unfold in the Acts of the Apostles in Paul's letters to the Corinthians. We are sent out to love and serve in peace of the risen Christ. The time is now. God's power breaks into human lives - in our loves - revealing his steadfast love.
In the midst of our fears and uncertainties, our betrayals and failures, we are restored. Again and again we encounter our risen Lord in bread and wine; by the power of the Spirit we who are many bcome members of one Body. God promises to be with us as we walk onwards into a future we cannot not envisage. It is God's future. Thre resurrection speaks of his glory, strength and might.
The Eucharist also draws us into songs of heavenly praise: it is a prayer full of vibrant imagery; it is full of hope amidst earthly reality. Our longings are named and our vision is restored. It evokes a future where God's promise from the beginning of all time will be fulfilled. A new song of redemption is heard: victory, amazing deeds, justice and truth.
For God alone is holy.
All nations will come and worship.
We have a foretaste of that vision: of justice, hope and peace.
God is love.
Father, Son and Spirit: one God.
Creating, redeeming, sustaining: one act of generous love poured into our lives, calling us to be his people.
The hope that inspired ordinary people to follow Jesus; the vision that drew young and old to listen to him; the voice that spoke words of compassion and healing; the love that touched lives is far more robust than anything we can do for ourselves. He alone is God with us; overcoming power of death.
Resurrection is about hope, conviction, vision and transformed community. Resurrection is not something we bring about. Our song is not a grim determination to survive; but the Alleluia that all has been accomplished. Our restoration is not transient; rather we glimpse the way things are destined to be for all eternity. Our sorrows, our betrayals, our tears and our bewilderment are born by God, and transformed into joy. We are assured that we are loved: now & always.
In this Easter season we remember and celebrate that God has not given up on us; that God's love is stronger than sin and death. What looked like a lost cause is just the beginning of transformation breaking in; even in the midst of frailty and uncertainty. We are to agents of God's reconciling love: practicing habits of forgiveness, building trust, deepening bonds of affection. Love calls us our of darkness into light: to embrace that service which is perfect freedom. Our acts of justice and compassion become moments of resurrection hope and glory.
Easter is now: hope overwhelms death; new lift bursts forth; we now live in the light of eternity.
All nations will worship.
Christ yesterday and today, the beginning and the end, Alpha and Omega, all time belongs to him, and all ages.
May the light of Christ, rising in glory, banish all darkness from our hearts and minds. Amen.
© 2015 Julie Gittoes
