Easter 05 04 2026
FIRST READING: Acts 10.34-43
NEW TESTAMENT READING: Colossians 3.1-4
GOSPEL: John 20.1-18
Easter Greetings to you all dear friends in the Name of our Risen Lord Jesus Christ.
Today is a very special day for the Church. This is a day to for us to celebrate the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ over the powers of darkness and Death. Jesus has risen from the dead and he is alive and he is the living Lord. The powers of religion and politics that crucified Jesus now stand exposed and they are put to shame. Easter is the victory of God. A victory that God shares with all of us.
Mary Magdalane an amazing woman who followed Jesus and also helped Jesus on the third day comes to the Tomb of Jesus on the third day as was the custom in some cultures. She was amazed to see the sealed tomb was open and the huge stone that sealed the tomb had been rolled away. What a shock that must have been, she then runs to Peter and John and they come and they rush to the tomb and find it the way Mary Magdalene had described. They return home. As Mary stood there weeping, there were two angels who appear and comfort her. Then Jesus himself appears to Mary.
The resurrection of Jesus conveys a powerful message to us. Jesus experienced the power of God. The power of God did not prevent him from suffering, it gave him strength while he suffered. Suffering is not to be the end, the power of God raised Jesus from the dead. Initially for Mary Magdalene and Peter and John the empty tomb was such a distressing sight. The Tomb itself brought to their minds the end of a glorious life, reminding them of the harrowing experiences of Good Friday, the torture, the humiliation, the pain and the immense suffering. The empty tomb was much more distressing, have they not even respected the dead body of Jesus what have they done, where have they taken the dead body.
Everything changed when they met the risen Christ. What a joy it must have been.
A tragedy is transformed into triumph, a great victory over evil, victory over endless scheming against Jesus, victory over suffering and victory over death.
The centre of our Christian faith is the cross which is both a sign of suffering and victory. The cross and suffering are not the end but it is a reminder of the new life and the power of God that gives victory.
There are various things that remind us what Christian faith is all about. One is cross, the cross is a constant reminder that we gladly undergo suffering because we know that there is joy that will follow. We have the church buildings which is the house of the disciples of Christ who come together to talk about Jesus, to support each other in faith, To experience and encounter Jesus who suffered, died and rose again.
There is yet another place that tells us what Christian faith is all about. The cemetery and the garden of remembrance. They are not a place of death and the end, they are places of rest. Christ who rose again has also promised eternal life to all those who believe in him. He will raise them up again to a new life. Those resting will experience the resurrection as well, what a glorious moment that is going to be. What appears to be the irreversible end is actually going to be a new beginning.
Easter gives us the hope to endure even when we are suffering. Easter gives us joy that we can come back to life even when we are facing the end.