The Lord is Risen! What does it all mean?

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Reverend Rob Lamerton
11 April 2004, Easter

The Lord is Risen! What does it all mean? If we read the gospel today

What does it mean for us TODAY?-Gradually over two stories in Luke's gospel Jesus is seen unrecognized at first and then seen by quite a number.But of what use is a man once dead and now restored to life?Peter (Acts 10) describes Jesus as the one who conveys God's message—God's word; God's self communication.THEY put him to deathBut God raised him.The crucifixion called into question the validity of that Word among Jesus' contemporaries.BUT God confirmed all that Jesus had said and done by this resurrection. But just as crucifixion is verifiable in the hard historical factual sense, resurrection is not—it belongs to personal experience.Some weeks ago, I went to see "Rays of Hope", young musicians from Rwanda.They exhibited:

Archbishop Rowan Williams writes about Jesus the victim being raised to bring healing and forgiveness!

So often we speak of Resurrection in terms of superiority and victory—"Our Jesus was raised!" etc.

But the victory is only there if Christ's healing, forgiving, Reconciling is at work among us.

What does Resurrection mean for

Reassurance, Freedom, Healing! from God via God's people!

Lord of the Rings ----

is it Return of the Ring or King?? [Return of the King; L]

Frodo finally gets to the mountain to cast the ring into the flames, but he finds it has a hold on him. With some help—Sam and Gollum—he "gives up" the ring [well, loses a finger in the process!; L] only to find he is relieved, happy, reassured and free.

free to live on in peace.

The resurrection of Christ is not a slogan to beat people with. It is a life to be lived in the sure knowledge that God sustains us and that resurrection is real as we are willing to confront those things which have us in their grip.

Christ is risen!

[He is risen indeed!]