Sharing some thoughts

Our gospel reading (John 20:19-31) this morning begins on the first evening of Easter. It’s still the same day the women found the tomb empty. It’s still the same day Mary Magdalene came running back breathless, saying she had seen the Lord. It’s still the same day the two disciples on the road to Emmaus had their hearts set on fire as Jesus walked beside them. And yet, despite all of that, the disciples are gathered in a room with the doors bolted shut. They are naturally frightened and confused, probably unsure what to believe. They’ve heard rumours of resurrection, but they haven’t yet met the risen Jesus. We remember that these are the same disciples who had walked with Jesus for three years. They had seen miracles. They had heard his teaching. They had promised loyalty. But now, on this first Easter evening, they are hiding. They are powerless. They are unsure what comes next. All except Thomas. Thomas isn’t there. The others are locked away, but Thomas is out somewhere. We ...

Readings : Acts 10:34–43 and John 20:1–18   A professor once asked his class, “How many Easter eggs can you fit into an empty basket?” The students looked puzzled. One eventually raised a hand and said, “Well, it depends on the size of the eggs and the size of the basket.” The professor smiled and replied, “No matter the size of the basket or the eggs, you can only ever fit one egg into an empty basket, because after that, it isn’t empty anymore.”   Today, with millions of Christians across the world, we celebrate something else that was empty: the empty tomb. Jesus, who had died on the cross, had risen again. And because of that, we can say with joy, with confidence, with hope: Alleluia! Christ is risen!   The depth of God’s love was revealed on Good Friday as Jesus faced torture and accepted death for us. The power of God’s love was revealed on Easter morning as he conquered death for evermore. God’s love can be discussed for hours, its breadth, its constancy, its sheer...

 Tommy Cooper once told a joke: a man rings the swimming pool and asks, “Is that my local swimming pool?” The receptionist replies, “It depends where you’re phoning from.”  It’s a silly line, but it reminds us how easily people see things differently, how quickly we make judgements without knowing the full story, or worse, by inventing the story we want. Palm Sunday is full of that very human tendency. Crowds flock to Jesus as he enters Jerusalem. John’s Gospel places this moment just after the raising of Lazarus, so excitement is at fever pitch.  People have heard the stories - this miracle worker, this teacher with authority, this man who can even call the dead back to life. Surely this is the king they’ve been waiting for. Surely this is the one who will free them from Rome and restore Israel’s glory. They had already decided what they wanted Jesus to be. They had shaped him in their own image, created their own expectations, and whipped themselves into an emotional fr...

I heard that, back in 2003, a funeral company in Brazil released an advert on local TV with the rather bold motto: “Our clients have never come back to complain.” Well… this morning’s gospel reading (John 11:1–45) gives us the story of someone who very much broke the rule of never coming back! We’ve heard the extraordinary account of Lazarus, the friend of Jesus, who had died and yet lived again. It’s a story that reminds us how quickly life moves on. But in the middle of all that change, this passage gives us one great constant, that is the voice of Jesus saying, “I am the resurrection and the life.” He speaks those words to Martha, Lazarus’ sister. She loved her brother deeply and she believed in Jesus wholeheartedly. And Martha was convinced that if Jesus had only arrived sooner, Lazarus would still be alive. Her faith was strong, but not quite strong enough to imagine what Jesus was about to do next. And who can blame her? She believed Jesus could heal. She believed he could...