Fear and Hope

 

On Easter Day, Doug preached a sermon linking the Easter Story to current issues. I am offering a revised, enhanced version in three parts. We hope you didn’t miss the Dutch Ship’s lantern on our bookcase or the “Salty Dog” LP next to it.

Fear and Hope.

“Jesus has been raised!” The good news is declared, Alleluia. But in Mark’s Gospel we hear that the all-too-human response was initially fear. You don’t need to be superstitious to feel very apprehensive that a tomb has been broken into – or (perhaps even more disturbing) escaped from. They were only aware that something almost unimaginable had happened. What a shock; no wonder they fled. Initially, at least.

Fear is a common experience, and it has a good side in that it makes us wary of dangerous situations. Fear of crossing roads, of walking up a mountain, of encountering drunks on a dark night, of catching or spreading a virus, is not misplaced – it’s very reasonable. Fear is a natural reaction to a potential threat and the women at the tomb could not be sure what was happening. Women today still find that all too often they need to be wary of unexpected encounters. Their fear prevented them from hearing the good news, from realising that rather than a deed of darkness it was a glimmer of hope.

The resurrection is a belief which we may all wrestle with; for it challenges us about our understanding of life and death, about who Jesus was and is, and it affects the way we live in the light of this momentous event. Like the first disciples at the tomb, don’t we find it a great deal to take on board?

“Taking things on board” reminds me of the unexpected blockage of the Suez canal a week ago. A huge container ship ran aground, blocking the canal. Soon there were hundreds of other ships waiting to pass through, and there was talk that with no access our side of the planet could face all sorts of shortages. It is fascinating that one small incident, a ship caught on a sandbank, could disrupt the world’s economy. A similar issue to the way that a few people catching a virus in a Chinese city has caused such pain, suffering and death. Both being similar, then, to the idea that one person dying on a cross could have meaning for all people. In the first letter to the Corinthians Paul writes that “As in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive”(15.22). Certain events have an effect far beyond their immediate circumstances, for good or ill.