Easter, a meditation on the mystery of God

We have reached the fifth and final Sunday in Lent, often called ‘Passion Sunday’.

We have tried to place the fundamental truths of Easter within the harsh global situation of our Ukrainian Europe.

But today let us finish on a deeper note.

Rather than thinking about Easter in our mind, let us ponder and meditate upon the wonder of Easter in our heart and soul, our feelings and our conscience.

‘Were you there when they crucified our Lord?’

Until the day I die, I will never forget the sharp and decisive experience of Auschwitz.

The children’s shoes and dolls, the mountain of human hair, the suitcases.

The total inhumanity of the entire scene is beyond description and is overwhelmingly terrible.

Yet in that place where‘No Sacred Face was seen’(Primo Levi), two expressions of faith were forever heard.

The great‘Shema’of Israel and the Lord’s Prayer from Christianity were recited every day.

The Shema was the injunction upon every male Jew to attest to his faith in and worship to God (Deuteronomy 6.4-9).

The integrity of the human spirit is only exceeded by the steadfastness of God.

The mystery of the human spirit is only surpassed by the mystery of God.

The Cross and the Emptied Tomb are so different.

The Cross pronounces dying while the Tomb announces living.

The Cross is a scene of humiliation, shame and suffering.

The Tomb shines with happiness, encouragement and hope. The Cross asks,‘Were you there when they crucified my Lord?’

The Tomb enquires,‘Were you there when God raised Him from the dead?’

Yet both speak with one voice about the God and Father of Jesus Christ.

The miracle of salvation is the mystery of God.

Dear people, do not study Easter, rather ponder its message.

Have you been to Calvary to be overwhelmed by that awesome spectacle?

Have you been to the garden of the Tomb to be enraptured by its wondrous achievement ?

Both tell of the mystery of your Father God.

I bid you stand at the foot of that crude Cross and sense the throbbing feelings and passion of our eternal God.

God is not far removed from you and indifferent to your experiences.

The Cross convinces you that God is intimately near to you.

Let the Cross persuade you that God’s heart is full of grace and his hands outstretched towards you in love.

Feel the release as your God lifts from your heart and soul the burdens you carry.

Look with tear-filled eyes as God takes your pain into himself.

This is the mystery of God’s passionate feelings, for you.

Listen to Jesus .‘My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?’ ‘Have you been to Calvary where they crucified my Lord?’

Hurry through the early morning mists and over the dew sodden grass to that Emptied Tomb.

Listen to the angel of God,‘He is not here, He is risen’(Mark 16.6).

Be overwhelmingly amazed at the sight of the vacant burial scene.

You do not need to understand, for explanations are unnecessary.

It is there for you to see, Your Father God has raised your Saviour Jesus from the dead.

Now everything in your life is secure in God’s successful plan for you.

Were you there at the Tomb where God raised Jesus from the dead?’

Our salvation is a miracle discovered in the mystery of God. God touches our wounded heart and we are healed.

God gathers our faults unto himself and we are forgiven, God speaks kindly to our soul and we are liberated by grace. This is the miracle of our salvation.

It happened at Easter, but was created in eternity. At Easter, God steps from the Cross to meet us.

At Easter, God leads us to the Emptied Tomb to inspire us.

The miracle of our salvation was born in the mystery of God –‘I have seen the Lord’(John 20.18).

A little prayer – Gentle Father God, let the radiance of heaven shine upon the shape of the

Cross. Let the light of heaven stream from the Emptied Tomb. As we bow before you, lost in wonder, love and praise. In Jesus’ name. Amen.