Alleluia! Easter is here, the reminder of God’s love for us and for all of creation, the promise that our life is so much more then we can ask or imagine. The sign that good triumphs over evil, that life and light are more powerful then death and darkness, that God who created all things, created them for good, for joy, for peace and for beauty. These are all the thoughts that swirl through our heads at this Easter season. For us who live in this part of the world Easter is further enhanced by the signs of spring, of new life and rebirth that surrounds us. As the dark days of winter give way to the brightness of spring and the drab winter colours move aside for the abundant colour and beauty of the plants coming to life around us.
Jesus walks with us through our sorrow and pain, and we are invited to join Jesus in his walk through death into new life. This does not happen at the end of our physical life but in the here and now, in the midst of the messy, difficult lives we live, there is hope, there is new life, there is Jesus.
The story of Easter which begins at the birth of Jesus, reaches it’s zenith during Holy week as we walk with Jesus through the sham trial he endures, the violence inflicted on him, the abandonment of his friends and followers and ultimately to his shame filled death on the cross. In this we see the pain and the violence, the grief and betrayal that is echoed throughout the world around us. We know what Jesus endures just as Jesus knows what we do and when our heads are bowed with grief and sorrow, our hearts and bodies are hurting from the pain inflicted on them, we remember Easter. We remember that pain, sorrow, fear, and hopelessness are not eternal, but love is. Life is. God is. We are.
Jesus walks with us through our sorrow and pain, and we are invited to join Jesus in his walk through death into new life. This does not happen at the end of our physical life but in the here and now, in the midst of the messy, difficult lives we live, there is hope, there is new life, there is Jesus. Some days its harder to remember that that’s why belonging to a church is so needed. We need to come together to worship, and we need to be surrounded by people who will remind us of the love of God when we’ve forgotten, who will pray for us when we can’t, who will encourage us in our walk with Jesus, just as we encourage, and remind and pray for them when they aren’t able to. For the gift of Jesus, for the gift of life, for the gift of the church we open our hearts in gratitude and say, thanks be to God!