Christ has risen!

Laura and I and Madigan has a wonderful Easter weekend.  We attended St. Barnabus Anglican Church, welcomed by the parish priest Emilie Smith.  We enjoyed  Sathia’s music and the Mary Magdalena, first apostle sermon by Rev. Martha Cameron. The church was busy Easter. We’d left Madigan our dog home and saw the Fritz, Emile’s dog was absent too. After the lockdowns it was a joy to participate in full communion. Hallelujah!

Later Laura and I would have the traditional ham dinner. I’d bought it fully cooked and smoked but it sure tasted the best being heated up on the barbecue and served with potatoes covered in butter and sour cream and creamed cauliflower.

Christ is risen.  God came to earth as a man, the son of God. He was persecuted by the government and synagogue.  One step a head of the crowd and you’re a leader ,two steps ahead and you are a martyr. The story of Jesus is that of obedience and faith.  Jesus son of God always said he followed the will of God the father. At the last on the cross, he cried out ‘My God, my God , why hasn’t thou forsaken me.’  He’d died.  Like the cry of a child for his mother Jesus was speaking to God even when his faith faltered. Alternatively that line is the opening of the Psalm that prophecizes his life and resurrection..  

The idea of ‘sacrificial lamb’ , the perfect sacrifice, the son, the Hebrew story of Abraham ready to sacrifice his son Issac, saved at the bell.   Jesus died for our sins was more meaningful thousands of years ago.  Sacrifice today isn’t particular part of the Disney world.   Today the idea of ‘personal saviour’ howeverremains poignant.  The  change of the day was the ‘servant God’.  Before Jesus ,God was only accessed by the great.  God was part of the hierarchy of church and state.  In the tribal world of polytheism there were hearth gods but in the great religions of Abraham tradition  God was the one and only leader of the world. Access was through state priests.   Earlier the Egyptians had the Pharoh himself as God. Later Medieval leaders would be the lineage representatives of God.  Even the Popes would claimed to represent God by hierarchal lineage after Constantine reformed Christianity in man’s eyes.   

Jesus, the son of God,  this ‘common man’, a ‘carpenter’ with his ‘fisherman friends’ and women of the people like Mary Magdalene, not a priestess or queen, all these simple folk, had known God.  This was a publicity failure of the first order.  How can the brand of government and state survive in face of such heresy. Even killing the competition didn’t wipe out the idea.  King Herod had already beheaded John the Baptist. Now here, Jesus, crucified rises from the dead.  Not only that the pernicious God, Jesus,  said that the Holy Spirit would remain after his death.  By all accounts a programmers nightmare.  

The Synagogue wanted a monopoly.  Even today the church claims the right of censorship.  The state wants no one to have guns but itself.  In the days of Jesus the Roman Army monopolized swords and the people only could carry knives or short swords necessary for their work.  Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey not in a chariot or on a steed.  Humility was celebrated over the arrogance so common with those who believe in the survival of the fittest and do not acknowledge grace.  

Mary Magdalene, the first apostles, found the tomb of Jesus empty and two angels were there instead. “Why do you search for the living among the dead?”  Jesus rose from the dead as he said, on the third day.  Third Day is my favourite Christian rock band. I’d heard of their music when Mel Gibson chose it for the master piece movie of the life of Jesus.

‘He is risen1’ Mary Magdalene told the 11. There had been 12 disciples but Judas betrayed God for money, 40 pieces of silver.  Peter, hearing what Mary said went to the tomb and confirmed it was bare.  Later Jesus met with many even the disciple Thomas who insisted on putting his finger in the wounds of Jesus to confirm he wasn’t just an hallucination.  

The fabric of the universe changed that day.  The story of Jesus inoculated the world.  The rainbow was a promise that God would not again flood his creation but instead he repaired the programming with the viral message of Jesus.  Jesus Christ. God within. God will come again.  Life after death.  Humility and holiness.  Small works not great works. Love.  Love God and love your neighbour as yourself. Blessed are the children who come unto me.  Such a gentle story of the son of God.  God isn’t war and conquering and ‘me first’ but rather the ‘servant god’.  

In the church calendar Easter tide now continues for 50 days of celebration.  The Gospel, the God news.  Christ is risen.  Life eternal.  

Thank you Jesus.!