IN Holy Week and Easter we follow the journey of Jesus through a trial, humiliation, abandonment and a tortured death. But faith tells us that that is not the end. The wonder of Jesus’ Resurrection is matched by a small band of terrified men and women into a compelling force for spreading the Good News. And the Good News they shared was that in the new life of Jesus, there is new life for all.
At the Easter Vigil we see and celebrate new life in the transformation of the church – darkness becomes dazzling light, the formerly bare sanctuary is adorned with flowers and candles, bells and ‘Alleluias’ ring out loud. We are celebrating the victory of life over death, the transformation that came with the first Easter and the transformation of the presence of God in our own life and community.
What does this Good News of transformation sound like in 2017? To the broken and vulnerable it is: “Do not be afraid, I am with you.” These are the vulnerable of society that we are called to serve.
In a world where need presses in on many sides, where humanity faces threats previously unimaginable, the Good News of life for all is sorely needed. Our God is not a God of scarcity, but a God of abundant, new life. We, who have heard this Good News, are an Easter people, and ‘Alleluia!’ is our song.