“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.”

Bono writes a column for the New York Times…  His Easter reflection is well worth a read…

So, that’s Easter all done.  What now?  What difference did it make?  Did anything change?  What are you left with?

Happy Easter to you all!

Mark 16
The Resurrection
1When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

4But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

6″Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’ “

8Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

The women who found the empty tomb were trembling and bewildered.  They were afraid.

Why aren’t we?  Why doesn’t the thought that God has overcome death, that God has escaped, that God is on the loose, terrify us?

I didn’t go to church this morning.  Instead I watched church on TV.  I watched a Bishop in his fine robes in a magnificent cathedral read words, swing incense and celebrate communion with fine silver and gold.  I watched the people gathered in a circular square chant the name of a priest like they would chant the name of a rock star.  I saw him in his fine robes call on the balcony of his palace call for peace and an end to poverty.  I read news stories of a Bishop who wants football games banned on Easter Day, as though watching your team play is all that distracts people or puts them off church.

This week Jonathon asked what the Temple curtain being torn when Jesus died meant for us.  I replied ‘God is on the loose’.  God is not in our box.  God is not contained in our churches, out liturgies, our statements, our sacraments or our sermons.

God is on the loose.  That should be a gloriously terrifying thought.  Who knows where and when we might meet the risen Christ…

Easter Blessings to all.  I’m off to Drumchapel to share in Easter worship and I’ve chosen Mark’s version of the story:

‘When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’ ”

Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.’

God is on the loose!

This is a post from last year that seems to get lots of hits so I thought I’d remind people it’s there in time for Holy Week.  It’s a sermon about Mary of Bethany and Judas.

You can find it HERE.