Easter 2009
The Easter egg is a wonderful symbol of new life. When we see pictures or films of young chicks breaking out of their shells, it evokes the image of Jesus breaking out of the tomb on Easter Day.
There are of course, other symbols of Easter – the butterfly is one such symbol because a beautiful creature can emerge from a rather plain chrysalis (or pupa) and caterpillar.
I rather regret that Easter bonnets are a thing of the past but we still have the Easter bunnies! About ten years ago I was driving to church on Easter Day when out of the side of a lane a young rabbit ran in front of the car - and sadly I could not avoid it – and ever since (and I don’t like to think of myself as sentimental)- but ever since, each Easter Day, I think of that rabbit that lost its life on the very day that we celebrate being alive.
The message of Easter is that Christ has overcome death and offers us the gift of life. During his earthly ministry Jesus had told us I came that you may have life and have it more abundantly and through his resurrection he breaks the chains of death and opens the way to eternal life for us all.
In the Creed, we used to refer to the ‘quick and the dead’ which I always thought sounded more like being a pedestrian crossing the road rather than a Christian living life to the full. But there is a difference between just being alive and being quick – there is a difference between having life and being fully alive. Jesus promised us not just life, but abundant life – life that could be lived to its fullness because we are fully alive and being fully alive is having the gift to enter into relationships – we enter into relationships with God himself, and with his wonderful world; we can enter into relationships with family and friends; we can enjoy food and drink, holidays and sport, art and music – they are God’s gifts for living life.
Today we often talk about ‘quality of life’ and recognise the need to reach out to those who may be alive, but do not have abundant life or ‘quality of life’ – the hungry, the homeless, those who are victims of war and violence, addiction and disease. And we recognise our duty towards them for the gift of life is a gift to be shared. It is not just about being alive but having abundant life.
Christians have always regarded life as a gift from God and something that is sacred, and sometimes there are difficult moral decisions when we are caring for those who have life but not abundant life. Euthanasia (or assisted suicide as it is often called) is an issue that is debated by politicians and theologians and the general public. They are not easy issues when ethical decisions become subjective and human beings are trying to distinguish between merely ‘living’ and ‘being alive’.
But the message on that first Easter Day was that Jesus was fully alive. The body that was tortured and beaten and nailed to a cross, had been transformed into the resurrection body and Jesus appeared to his disciples.
I always love St John’s account of that first Easter morning when Mary Magdalene is outside the empty tomb and thinks they must have stolen the body of Jesus. Then she sees the Risen Lord and mistakes him for the gardener – but she is not mistaken, Jesus was the new Adam and she was the new Eve walking in the garden in the cool of the day. Easter Day had changed everything – it was a day of re-creation – and Jesus told Mary not to cling to him but to go and tell others that he is fully alive.
That is also our task – to tell others that Jesus is fully alive, but they won’t believe that unless they can see his followers are fully alive, and of course there are many pressures in our world today that are intent on ridiculing the Church and silencing the Christian voice. Sometimes we deserve it, but often we don’t. The most recent attack by the Secular Society is to want to abolish hospital chaplains so that patients can be cared for by their own ministers, but they miss the point, because chaplains are also there to minister to those who have no particular religious affiliation – perhaps the majority of patients - but when in hospital and facing illness and their own mortality become aware of their spiritual needs.
Our task is to live life to the full because Jesus is fully alive in us. We are an Easter people and the Easter message should fill us with joy because joy is suffering that has been overcome. On Easter Day, Christians should have real happiness in their hearts because Christ has triumphed and his victory is also ours – so that we might have the fullness of life this side of the grave and eternal life in the life to come. If we believe that - we should be dancing in the aisles and singing the hymns from the depths of our being and wanting to go and share that message with others – for our God reigns – Alleluia! Amen.