The Tribune

By Rev Angela C

Bosfield Palacious

NOW that we are in the Easter season and have come out of a solemn Lent, there are many thoughts and feelings associated with the resurrection. These are but some of a wide range of responses:

1. Relieved

We have our happy ending after an horrific ordeal. Once again, we are reassured of God’s continuous grace and mercy. We are ready to tell this Good News with renewed energy and conviction. The past became so real in the present that we are motivated to include our experience in all future encounters wherever possible.

1. Guilty

We realise that we are not much better than the hateful crowds and the deserting disciples. We understand how easy it is to forget what we know, preferring the darkness of sin to God’s marvelous light. We understand that we continue to betray God’s trust and become distracted by the sights that dazzle.

1. Empowered

There are so many feet to wash, wounds to bind and captives to set free. We are no longer overwhelmed by the task of servant leadership. Instead we tackle ministry, one foot at a time, one person at a time, one group at a time, one congregation at a time. If we all pull our weight we will make a significant different. We may just turn the world right side up in the name of the Lord, to some degree, with the help of the Holy Spirit.

1. Humble

That the Lord God Almighty should desire our worship is an unfathomable mystery; we are so fickle and selfish and yet God delights in having an intimate relationship with us. How can we respond any other way than to fall on our knees with gratitude and love for our Creator God.

1. Challenged

Having heard Jesus’ first words of forgiveness from the cross, how can we be comfortable with the hardness of heart that is a human affliction? How can we ask for mercy when we do not want to extend mercy to others? We are prompted by the Holy Spirit to do better and we feel convicted to change.

1. Hopeful

The promise of paradise to the thief reminds us that we are only a prayer away from the kingdom as well, and that others are also. We, who know what it is to find comfort that the death of a loved one is but a temporary separation, are strengthened for the lonely journey without them.

1. Loved

The love of a Saviour, the loving community of the church, the loving fellowship of committed believers around the world, can be a hiding place when the storm winds blow. What a blessing to feel free to love and allow oneself to be loved.

1. Satisfied

Our craving for attention, approval, affection and admiration is satisfied by the gracious nature of our ever present God. We finally recognise ourselves to be good enough in God’s eyes to be wanted, because in Christ we are accepted in all of our humanness. We have been given the free gift of undeserved favour, without having to earn it.

1. No Longer Forsaken

This unconditional love means that we do not have to fear abandonment, or rejection. Our God’s arms are stretched wide on the cross to encompass us all. Even the most wayward can find a place in God’s heart if the invitation is accepted.

1. Secure

We do not have to put God to the test. Just as Jesus commended His spirit to his Heavenly Father, we may do the same in life and death. We do not have to be anxious or fearful. We are free to live the abundant life promised by our Lord.

1. Fulfilled

When time comes to die if the Lord has not already come, we have the promise of finishing with a sense of fulfillment. We, who know our purpose, have been called to focus faithfully on it and to accomplish our part in God’s plan. What a joy to run our race with enthusiasm and fight our fight with courage.

1. Patient

We who have waited through the long and difficult Holy Saturday have emerged more refined by the fiery furnace of delayed gratification. We believe that our faithful God will work all things for good somehow, and we trust that there is a larger picture that will help everything to make sense in the end.

When it comes down to it, we must each respond in our own personal way to the Easter event. It goes beyond a Holy Week and even more Holy Weekend. It is a life changing encounter that shakes us to the core and radically transforms us, if we allow it.