He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
The above is the greeting and response traditionally given between Christians on Easter day. The day is a joyous day, celebrating the discovery of the empty tomb and the risen Christ appearing before the women who had come to the tomb grieving the loss of their Lord. Easter is a time of renewal and rebirth. We’ve just finished 40 days of Lent in which we reflect on our life in Christ.
This morning in church we also celebrated the baptism of two youngsters. Two new members of our church family, their rebirth into the life of Christ.
The sermon this morning touched on some of the conspiracy theories surrounding the biblical stories of the death and resurrection of Christ. Isn’t that a pretty common and human response? If you can’t get your head around something or prove that it absolutely could happen, you decide that it was all subtafuge. Each to their own.
My faith doesn’t stand or fall on literal belief in any reported event in the bible. I see the bible as being written largely in metaphorical language, reflecting the ageless struggle of the human psyche to describe, explain and reflect on that inner need we all have for a spiritual understanding of the powers beyond our understanding which surround us. The bible can provide a guidebook of sorts to much of what we struggle with in our lives if we open our minds and hearts to hear.
A dear friend asked me not long ago if my faith had sustained me during some events in my life. I didn’t really give her a straight answer at the time but it has been cause for thought since then. I think if I was being brutally honest, I’d have to say that those events have likely contributed to a sort of love/hate relationship with God. Obviously the hate part isn’t really strong or I’d not be going to church or even exploring faith.
After church ended I went into Cobourg and visited two of our aging parishioners who are no longer able to come to church. It was a pleasant visit with both of them. Something I did on the spur of the moment because it seemed the right thing to do. I’ve promised one of them a book that I have she may enjoy. I’ll need to drop back with it.
