The Hope of Easter
Someone recently asked why we make more of Christmas than Easter? And it got me thinking. In the Christian calendar, Easter wouldn’t exist with the birth of Jesus at Christmas, but Christians wouldn’t exist without the events of Easter. Without Easter we wouldn’t have hope in life and in eternal life.
Sadly this year, I’ve lead a number of funerals. It is always a privilege to support families at such a dark time of grief at the loss of a loved one. One of the hopes that I hear from families is that they will one day be united with those loved ones or that their loved one will not be alone because they’ve gone to heaven. This belief doesn’t stop us missing our loved ones, but there is the hope of being reunited one day.
One of the Bible passages that I often share with families are the words of the Gospel of John chapter 14 verses 1 to 6. It is an account of Jesus comforting his disciples the night before he dies on Good Friday. As in a lot of accounts, Jesus and his friends are sharing a meal together when Jesus says “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you may also be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”
Jesus, despite knowing his own fatal outcome, prepares, reassures and comforts his friends. He knows that they will be thrown into turmoil and into the rolling waves of grief. In this passage, he speaks of preparing a place for them in his Father’s house. Another word used for his Father’s house is mansion which also equates to heaven. As he promises to one of the thieves on the cross the next day, he promises heaven and that they won’t be alone there.
The Bible passage continues with Thomas saying that they didn’t know where Jesus was going, so how could they know the way. I like the character of Thomas as he has doubts and he asks questions - hence where we get the phrase ‘Doubting Thomas’. Maybe Thomas thinks it is a physical place and so he needs directions. He hasn’t grasped the depth of the meaning of Jesus’ teaching over the last three years. Thomas needs more reassurance and Jesus doesn’t get cross or dismiss Thomas. He tells Thomas that “He (Jesus) is the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Jesus is the key. He defeated all of the sins of the world - past, present and future upon the cross and rose again on that first Easter Sunday. This is the hope that Easter brings. This is the difference that Easter makes to our everyday and to our eternal lives. So this Easter, why not come and find out more about the importance of Easter at one of your churches? Why not come and find out about hope?
Easter blessings to you all,
Rev Vikki