April Magazine
I am writing this in the midst of the corona virus pandemic so by the time this sees the light of day who knows where
we will be at. In the midst of a pandemic, coming hot on the heels of floods and associated climate panic, a three year
Brexit impasse, terrorism, unending strife and wars in various parts of the globe, a social care crisis, one wonders
where the next panic is coming from to rattle our nerves and sense of wellbeing.
Things were no different 2000 years ago. Born to a subject people under foreign occupation, living hard pastoral lives without a
health system, or social security, and where extreme poverty was a norm rather than an exception, Jesus entered the world. A
world that conspired against him to have him executed on a cross on spurious jumped-up charges. And you think you have it
bad nowadays? In the midst of a seemingly never-ending stream of nerve jangling and disturbing news, where is the good news?
The good news is that that man, after he was executed, was raised to life on the third day – an earth-shattering event that
changed the world and started the largest and most widely spread religion the world has ever known. Christians believe that
because of that fact – the raising to life of Jesus on that first Easter Sunday, a day we celebrate this year on April 12th, that no
matter how desperate things may get, politically, socially, medically or environmentally we are buoyed up by HOPE. Hope that
one day all things will be set right. There will be a settling of accounts, and justice and peace will reign. All that was wrong will
be put right, light will shine in the darkness, goodness will triumph over evil, and All will be well and all manner of things shall
be well. Nothing can ultimately get us down for long, nothing is so dark that light cannot shine forth from it. Happy Easter
.