Easter Day
rings out with a type of celebration which we often find difficult – and
understandably.
The death of those whom we love and know leaves us bereft and
wandering in darkness and loneliness.
Yet Easter speaks confidently and with
celebration of the way in which Jesus Christ has overcome death and has opened
the gate of everlasting life. This is a bold and loving claim. It transforms
not only life but even death through resurrection.
The angel who
spoke to the women at the tomb asked
them to go quickly and tell the disciples:
He has been raised from the dead and is going ahead of
you into Galilee.
So the
Collect for Easter Day tells us today and every day that the grace of God, with
equal urgency and realism, goes ahead of us and fills our minds with the longing
for good things.
This is a
powerful encouragement to courage itself. Courage is not always about something
dramatic. It needs the qualities of constancy and continuity.
The Collect for
Easter Day goes on to give substance to what happens in our minds – namely that
we call on God’s grace to bring those good desires to good effect.
In other
words, thinking of the thing is not enough; you and I need to want to do it for
other people and for ourselves – and then to go and do it.
The Season of
Easter pours out its blessing on us until the Day of Pentecost. And then the
Spirit of Christ takes the love of God out into the world from the church.
Let
us rejoice and resound today with the Alleluias which once again find their
voice after the restraints of Lent.
Christ is
risen!
The Lord is
risen indeed. Alleluia!
+Michael