Alleluia, The Lord is Risen, Indeed!

Alleluia, Christ is risen, Christ is risen indeed! This past sunday we celebrated in our Churches the good news of the Easter message, that God in Christ Jesus has risen from the dead.  It's a message that brings opportunity for renewed hope, vision, possibilities, new beginnings. In the gospel of Luke(24:1-12), the women at dawn go to the tomb to anoint Jesus' body as was the custom to do at the time of burial.  As the beginning of Sabbath was near when Jesus' body was taken down from the cross, this could not be done before he was placed in the tomb, as it was not lawful to bury on the Sabbath.  A large stone had been rolled in front of the opening to the tomb and sealed.  When the women arrived there the stone was rolled away and when they went into the tomb, Jesus body was not there. Two men in dazzling white, standing next to them said, "why do you look for the living among the dead?" and then they said, “He is not here. He is risen.” The women perhaps unsure of how to take this, the men say to them, "remember", "remember when He told you in Galilee, that he would be handed over to sinners, die and on the third day rise again."  The women remembering that Jesus had told them exactly that, and that it was the third day, believed that Jesus had indeed risen just has he had said he would, and they go back and tell the others.  They at first did not believe, but then Peter rushes to the tomb, and like the women he finds nothing there but the linen grave clothes lying by themselves, and he too amazed go back to the others.  How hard it is to believe sometimes. The woman didn't believe at first, the men in dazzling white, had to remind them of what Jesus had told them.  The disciples didn't believe at first when the women told them, they thought it was an idle tale. Peter didn't believe at first, he had to go and see for himself.  What does it take to believe, does it require some factual evidence, that one can touch or see, perhaps Like Thomas, who said, he would not believe unless he could touch the marks where the nails had been driven in Jesus hands, or in his side. Whatever it might take for one to believe, the one thing we do know is that when they did everything changed for them, and that is the real good news in the message of the resurrection is that God in Christ Jesus has changed all things for all time.  Women who had no place in society, were in Luke's gospel named as the apostles to the apostles. Peter and the other disciples who were hiding out of fear of the Romans, suddenly everything changed when they knew Jesus was alive, suddenly there was new hope, new possibility. It is the same for us too, when we place our trust in the risen Lord, things change for us and we begin seeing life in a new way, with new hope, new possibility and promise; and so I pray you will find a renewed hope and peace trusting in the Risen Lord! Alleluia, Christ is risen, the Lord is risen, indeed!

Easter Blessings

Rev. Hannah+