Weekly Thoughts

If you compare St John’s account of the resurrection (Chapters 20 and 21) with account of the raising of Lazarus (Chapter 11) it immediately becomes clear John is telling us of two quite different events. Lazarus’ physical body is restored to life and goes on living with his sisters Martha and Mary. The resurrected Jesus is alive in a quite different way. He can appear and disappear at will; he can be recognized and not be recognized as he chooses. Jesus’ resurrection body is not the same body in which he walked about in the Holy Land 2,000 years ago. So, the question arises what happened to Jesus’ physical body? I think it turned into pure energy. After all we know from atomic physics that matter can be turned into energy, a great deal of energy. In Pasolini’s film “The Gospel according to St Matthew” when the resurrection occurs the vast stone sealing the tomb is simply blown away by the energy streaming out of it. Christ no longer having a physical body means he is now universally available; a point underlined when at the Ascension his resurrection body is also removed from the physical universe.

Christ makes himself available to us today in the sacraments of the church, particularly in Holy Communion. This is of particular importance to us as we try and make sense of our contradictory, dangerous and uncertain world. Who knows what President Trump will do next? And what the consequences will be? Will the war between Russia and Ukraine and the civil war in Sudan ever end. What will happen in the Middle East? Whatever dangers and uncertainties we have to face we know that we face them in the power of Christ’s victory over sin and death, shown by his resurrection, his emergence in the realm of Spirit. What this challenges us to do is to live the resurrection. 

The resurrection was the outcome of Jesus’ life of integrity, justice and love for the outcast. Living the resurrection means living the same kind of life in the world in which we find ourselves. That may well be costly – it brought Jesus to the Cross - but the reward is to share eternal life with him in the glory of the resurrection.

A very happy and blessed Easter to you all.

READINGS AND PRAYERS

5 APRIL – EASTER SUNDAY – John 20.1-18 – The Resurrection, Christ appears to Mary Magdalene – thanksgiving for Christ’s victory over sin and death

6 APRIL – EASTER MONDAY – Matthew 28.8-15 – Matthew’s account of the Resurrection – all who doubt the Resurrection

7 APRIL – EASTER TUESDAY – Acts 2.36-41 – God has made him both Lord and Messiah - for grace to live the Resurrection life 

8 APRIL – EASTER WEDNESDAY – Luke 24.13-25 – the Emmaus road – that we may perceive Christ in the Sacraments of the Church

9 APRIL – EASTER THURSDAY – Acts 3.121 – end – the healing of the man at the Beautiful Gate – that all may know the Resurrection life

10 APRIL – EASTER FRIDAY – John 21.1-14 – Jesus at the Sea of Tiberius – that we may perceive Christ in our dairy work

11 APRIL – EASTER SATURDAY – Mark 16.9-15 – Mark concludes his account of the Resurrection – the evangelistic work of the Church