My Easter Sunday sermon reflecting on the Resurrection and hope in the face of the current pandemic.
As we are unable to gather in church our services are being recorded and uploaded to YouTube so below is the video of the whole service but it should start at my sermon.
I wonder if you’ve ever been reading a book or watching a TV series and the plot is getting rather concerning, the protagonist is in dire straits, everything seems to be going wrong. And I wonder if, halfway through, when things seem really dire, you’ve flicked ahead to the last page, or googled the plot to see if things get any better, to see whether it all ends in tragedy or if somehow it all works out in the end. And then armed with this sneak peak you can decide if you want to carry on reading or watching.
At first glance the story of Jesus seems like a tragedy. A travelling preacher and teacher who seemed way ahead of his time. Who went about having compassion on the poor and the sick, the downtrodden and oppressed. A man who did everything right, and yet out of jealousy the leading figures of the time conspired against him, getting him convicted on trumped up charges. And then executing him in the worst possible way we have ever come up with, nailing him to a cross to suffocate to death in agony. It’s a tragedy, this good man executed brutally. But look closer. A good man yes, but also a man who claimed to be God. A man who had compassion for the sick yes, but who also healed the sick with a touch or a word. A man who says he’s God and says he’s going to die. Seems like an odd way to prove you’re God, to die, to do the thing that’s the opposite of what we associate with God. And that was the clincher, jealousy plays a part in the leaders deciding to kill him yes, but the thing they absolutely cannot stand is His claim to be God. So, they do what Jesus has been saying will happen to Him the whole time, what He has been warning his disciples they will do, they kill him. Jesus isn’t swept away by events, the plots of the religious leaders don’t overtake him. God chooses the cross, Jesus chooses the cross. People ask where is God in suffering, where is God right now in the midst of this pandemic? He’s right here, He’s here with us in it. God doesn’t stand far off from suffering and pain, holding it at arms length. No, in Jesus he comes to earth and goes right down into the depths of suffering and pain, out of choice. Where is God now in this suffering and pain? He’s right beside you knowing what it is to suffer. So is the cross just some divine act of solidarity with humanity? God’s act of empathy with our sufferings? Well that’s part of it but it’s far from the whole story. On the cross Jesus takes upon himself all our sin; our selfishness and greed, our failure to love our neighbour, our failure to care for our world, our rebellion against God. Jesus takes upon himself everything that is wrong with us and our world. Not only is he suffering because of the cross, he’s suffering under the weight of the world’s mess, under the weight of our mess. And then he dies. And that weight dies with him. It’s a tragedy, God dies for crimes he didn’t commit, taking the blame for our own wickedness our own mess. But what defines a tragedy? Even comedies have trials and difficulties, moments where all seems lost. The deciding factor is the last page, does it end with all lost, or with hope, with all restored? Well the story doesn’t finish at the cross. It doesn’t end on Good Friday, we’re here celebrating today because if you turn the page Jesus comes back to life, and not just for the short-term, Jesus lives right now, never to die again. The cross didn’t defeat him, our sin couldn’t destroy him, the grave couldn’t hold him. The one who is life itself dies, only to burst forth once more in abundant life. And this isn’t a one off, this is just the beginning. A new order has begun. For all who believe in Jesus, who come to him in sorrow for our sin and mess, a beautiful exchange takes place. We trade our mess and sin for his life and wholeness. We become part of that new order, people living that new resurrected life of Jesus now, and who will pass through death into the fullness of resurrection in eternity. Christians are people who have taken a peek at the last page, despite the many tragedies along the way we know that it doesn’t end in tragedy, tragedy is not the last word. Instead on that final page is resurrection, life everlasting in a world made new, God dwelling amongst his people, and we seeing him face to face. In the face of the current pandemic we don’t have all the answers. Instead we weep with those who weep, pray for all who are suffering and fearful, we cry out to God to save us and our world, but one thing that is certain, one thing which we do know is this; we have hope. Hope that we will get through this yes, but more than that, knowing the last page, knowing that tragedy doesn’t have the final word, we have the hope of sharing in the fullness of Christ’s resurrection and new life. We can look fear in the face and stand secure on the one who is faithful, on God our solid rock. We can stand alongside Christians throughout the ages who have faced down persecution, famine and disease, knowing that whether we feel like we’re in the pain and suffering of Good Friday or the bleakness of Holy Saturday, that Sunday is coming, that He is coming, and it will be glorious. Amen
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AuthorAn Anglican Curate in my 20's I was raised in an Anglican Church, went to a Youth Club run by an Evangelical Church, attended a Baptist Church while at Uni and was a member of a New Monastic Community after graduating. As such my faith has been influenced by these experiences and traditions into what I hope is a more rounded viewpoint. Archives
September 2022
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