The Parish Magazine March 2024

The Parish Magazine - March 2024 5
The vicar's letter
Dear Friends,
The late Pope John Paul II declared that Christians are an 'Easter people'.
For an Easter person, Easter is not only the most important day of
the year; the first Easter was the most important date in history. The
resurrection is the cornerstone of our faith, as the late Dr Billy Graham
once declared, 'If I were an enemy of Christianity, I would aim right at the
resurrection because that’s the heart of Christianity.' St Paul felt the same
way. He said, 'If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and
your faith is in vain.' (1 Corinthians 15:2)
Sceptics of every age have trouble with resurrection. They ask, 'Do
you want us to believe that a dead man walked out of his grave?' That was
the attitude of all of Jesus’ disciples when they first heard the news. But
something earth-shattering happened, as any objective observer can tell.
Within a seven-week period following the death of Jesus, a little band of
depressed, cowardly men were transformed into a militant, exuberant
team of evangelists who spread the resurrection news across the world.
Ten of the original disciples were executed for their beliefs. Their lives
would have been spared if they had just denied that Jesus arose. But they
wouldn’t back down. People are not usually willing to die for a lie or a
fairy tale.
THE LIVING LORD
Firstly, an Easter person is one who searches for Jesus. The angels told them that they were looking in the
wrong place for a live person. However, at least the women were searching, which is more than we can say for
the disciples. They were huddled in fear and despair behind locked doors. We all know that many people attend
church at Easter who do not usually attend, Sunday by Sunday. They are a very welcome addition to our services.
I would though gently offer this observation. There is a big difference between the way we treat a dead hero
and a living Lord. We honour the memory of a dead hero, like Admiral Lord Nelson, with a respectful nod of
appreciation on Trafalgar Day. We might even visit his memorial in St Paul’s Cathedral. If Jesus Christ were
nothing more than a dead hero, perhaps an annual visit to a church would be sufficient. However, if he is a living
Lord, that is surely not enough. If he is the living Lord, then it seems fitting to join with his people and worship
him continually, not annually.
Secondly, an Easter person is one who believes the good news. The women of Easter morning make a much
better showing than the disciples. From the moment these women heard the good news that our crucified Lord
had arisen, they believed it, but not the disciples. One of the disciples, Thomas, went so far as to say that he
would not believe unless, and until, he could see the wounds in his hands and side. Later Jesus showed Thomas
his wounds and then said, 'Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.' (John 20:29)
I once heard it put like this in parable form. Let’s suppose that an unborn infant, in its mother’s womb, can
reason and speak. Suppose also that someone says to it, 'Soon you must leave this place and be born. You will enter a
different realm.' The infant might protest and say, 'I like it here. I am fed, warm, and I feel loved. I don’t want to leave
this place and be born.' But nature takes its course, and the baby is born. After he endures a slap on his bottom
and cries a bit, he looks up into a loving face and the infant is cuddled in loving arms. He soon discovers that
he can get anything he wants if he will just cry or coo. So, the infant says to himself, 'This is nicer than I thought
it would be.' The years of childhood pass and then the child becomes a youth, then an adult, and years later he
grows old with bodily parts beginning to wear out and ache. One day the thought of death begins to worry him.
He says to himself, 'I like this place. I don’t want to leave. Death scares me.' However, nature again takes its course,
and he dies. What happens then? The Bible declares that each believer is born once more. He looks up into a face
more beautiful than that of his mother. Loving eyes look down on him and underneath are the everlasting arms.
He is born again into a heavenly realm where there is no more pain, no more death, and no more sin. He is home
at last.
This to my mind is a beautiful reassurance to all God’s Easter people. We honour not a dead hero this Easter
but a living Saviour who offers life in all its fullness to those who accept his invitation.
Christ is risen!
Warm wishes. Jamie