Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

Easter: Celebration of new life in Christ
Matthew 28:1-10
“The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified”.  Vs. 5
 
The resurrection event is central to the Christian religion without which, there would be no Christian Church nor Christian religion.  As Paul teaches: “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (I Cor. 15:14, NIV).  Moreover, one could say that the Fall of man, and the Resurrection of Christ are the two most significant events in all of human history.  Through the former, sin is brought into the world and man is separated from God.  Through the latter, the sins of all humankind are atoned for, and the way is made open for anyone to again establish a relationship with God, being imparted with the righteousness of Christ, through faith in his finished work on the cross. “The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not merely the greatest event of history, it is the hinge on which all history turns” [Pulpit Comm., 621].

Resurrection gives us Hope and Courage: The word ‘do not be afraid’occurs two times in this passage. Fear is not the usual emotion associated with Easter Sunday.  But it is the common and recurring human reaction in the Resurrection event. The guards were scared nearly to death. The women were frightened, both when they encountered the angel and before Jesus Himself. Fear remains, even for those who have been greeted by the risen Lord. But after witnessing the Resurrection, the women were no longer afraid.   As they ran from the tomb, the women were still afraid, but their fear was no longer alone, and it no longer dominated. They departed from the tomb, “with fear and great joy”. That is the difference Easter makes.

 Resurrection reminds us to change our direction: Today’s reading also speaks of the empty tomb, and describes the risen Jesus instructing the apostles to return to Galilee, where they can meet him, when they are back in their ordinary life. We too can encounter Jesus and the power of his resurrection in our ordinary life situation.  The women are to instruct the disciples that they will see him in Galilee. Galilee is their home ground, the place where they were born, grew up and work. That is where the Risen Jesus is to be found. Jesus is saying the same thing to us too. We do not have to go to Jerusalem or Rome or Galilee to find him. If we cannot find him in the place where we live and work, we won’t find him in any of those other places either.

Dear friends, Easter this year is unlike any Easter we have ever seen. The coronavirus has exposed that we are fragile. Objects of our love and trust are crumbling before us. Universally held assumptions about security and permanence are proving false. All we can do is hide ourselves from the very communities that usually help us cope with such challenges. Fears are being accompanied by varying degrees of loss, grief, and anger. This is why we are maintaining social distancing even on this holiest of Sundays.

But the pandemic does not change the belief we need to proclaim. It is our privilege to proclaim our belief that we will see the risen Lord Jesus. We will see Him with our own eyes at His glorious return and, because He comes with gracious greetings of forgiveness, life, and salvation, we can face whatever these fearful days will bring with even greater joy.
 
Because He lives I can face tomorrow
Because He lives all fear is gone
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

 
PRAYER
Give us O Lord the Courage to face the life situations and help us to walk in communion with you.
 
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Because of the empty tomb, we have peace. Because of His resurrection, we can have peace even during the most troubling of times because we know He is in control of all that happens in the world.
– Paul Chappell


Rev. Manoj Idiculla - Diocesan Bishop’s Secretary
Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar Thoma Church

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