He is risen!  He is risen indeed!  Wow, what a relief!  Not even covid-19 can stop Jesus from rising from the dead.  Now and for eternity, we are assured of the forgiveness of our sins and our life forever with God.

In this time of ongoing fear and anxiety, we can only thank God that He raised Jesus from the dead.  Jesus has permanently destroyed the power of evil and fear to control our lives.  With all the negativity surrounding us, it’s hard not to be in a constant state of vigilance and even despair.

Yet we are believers in Jesus.  Yes, sickness and death are part of being human and will come to us and to our loved ones whether or not it is covid-19 related.  Our physical reality is the human condition.  Our spiritual reality is eternal life in Christ.

No matter what, the Risen Lord is with us.  He is with the front line hospital workers, doctors and nurses.  He is with First Responders and grocery store staff.  He is with all those who must work for us at this trying time.  He is with the sick and the dying even if we can’t be.  He is with all of us, all the time.

By the power of the Resurrection, Jesus has broken the bonds of sin and death.  As Romans 8:38,39 says, nothing – not even covid-19 – can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Experience the joy and hope of Easter.  Remember Jesus died for you.  Remember He is with you always.  Remember His eternal life gives us hope as believers.  Give thanks and praise His name.  For indeed, the Lord is good and His love is everlasting.

God bless you.

Coleen+

Rector, St. Peter’s Anglican Church

1. Find a quiet place, sit down, take a couple of deep breaths.
2. Imagine you are in Jerusalem. You are part of a crowd watching something.  Smell the smells, hear the shouting, feel the bustle, taste the dust.  The noise gets louder.
3. You look up and there’s Jesus carrying His cross. He doesn’t look like Jesus.  His head is bleeding from the crown of thorns.  His back is pasted in dried blood from the scourging.  He is stumbling under the weight of the cross and His own human weakness.  You have trouble watching and keep averting your eyes.
4. You follow the crowd to Golgotha. You can’t see much, only hear the echoing sounds of the hammer pounding the nails into the flesh of Jesus.  Then He is lifted up between two others and hangs tormented before everyone.  You hear Him say something – something about forgiving.
5. Suddenly you are aware of someone beside you. It is a person who has hurt you in your life.  You are astonished that they are there as well.  Annoyed, you turn and look at Jesus.  Jesus is looking at that person with such love and tenderness then forgives them, right in front of you!  You feel compelled to look at the person now and they look different.  Something has changed in them.  Their features are less harsh, their demeanor more humble.  You hardly recognize them.
6. Then you hear your own name. You look up and there is Jesus looking at you with the same love and tenderness He had looked at the person beside you.  You see His lips move and suddenly realize He is saying words of forgiveness to you, personally.
7. Uncharacteristic of you, you feel the need to take the hand of that person beside you and together you watch Jesus die – for you, for them, and for the world.
8. Pause and feel your feelings.
9. You realize suddenly that you are alone before the cross. Mary, the mother of Jesus, and John are standing close by to Jesus.  You nod at them with respect, glance furtively at Jesus, now dead, say what you need to, though words seem to escape you.  You turn and walk back into your life, now changed forever.

God bless you.

Coleen+

Rector, St. Peter’s Anglican Church