The Tribune

By Rev Angela C Bosfield Palacious

When we think of “before and after” situations our minds may run on the medical makeovers that are being televised regularly on certain channels. There are so many drastic changes which may be made to facial features that persons seem hardly recognisable after it is over. I wonder to what degree personalities are altered by the improved self-esteem that is advertised.

Sometimes a suit of clothing is all that is needed. A teenager in baggy jeans, a long T-shirt and tennis shoes suddenly becomes a gentleman in ‘tails and top hat’. The adolescent girl is transformed into an elegant young lady in a formal gown.

Even a house may appear totally different in size and structure with a new coat of paint or with landscaped gardens. A new fence or wall gives an improved appearance for the most part.

Easter is not about these kinds of renovations or restorations. Easter introduces a radical discontinuity with the past. It is so dramatic that it is beyond measure or comparison.

Death which was once a word that struck terror in the hearts of most human beings is now the gateway to larger life. Sin that brought permanent and eternal separation is vanquished, and the gift of salvation invites us all into a relationship of reconciliation. No one is to be excluded if at all possible: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him” (Acts 10: 34b-35).

The God of the Red Sea Crossing and the Jericho demolition is now the God of the defeat of death and destruction, and the Enemy’s hold on humanity. History has become current events for the disciples: “We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and Jerusalem, They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead” (Acts 10:39-41). The same is true for us at the Eucharist; we continue to eat and drink with the Lord.

Ministry has been introduced in the church giving a new meaning and purpose for our existence. We serve a risen Lord. We are called to testify to the truth about God’s love and the availability of forgiveness for sinners. This new preoccupation with working for the Lord is intended to help us to: “set our minds on things that are above not on things on earth” (Colossians 3: 2)

This is a makeover from the inside out. Death, sin, salvation, relationship with God, ministry and spirituality become words with a new impact and influence. Some are downsized and others are magnified. The Lord Jesus Christ is at the centre of everything.

Thanks be to God for the powerful redemptive work accomplished on the cross, and exemplified in the resurrection.