Welcome to our Worship on Easter Sunday. Our Easter Sunday Eucharist is at 10 am at St Thomas' Church, and Revd David Halford will be preaching and presiding. If you can't be with us in person, you'll find everything you need to worship from home here on this page.
Our first hymn this morning is "Jesus Christ Is Risen Today"
Today's Gospel
John 20: 1-18
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes.
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.
Reflection
Halleluiah - The Lord is risen!!
At first, I thought, how great to be writing a reflection for Holy Sunday. It’s a Good News Story – it’s the best news ever! But then I had so many thoughts circling around in my head. Oh my gosh, where to start? There’s so much in this Gospel passage. After all, it’s the very foundation and heart of our faith.
Maybe, I should make reference to the 1965 film, “The Greatest Story Ever Told” which starred amongst others Max von Sydow as Jesus, and Charlton Heston as John the Baptist. But that’s a little twee. Whilst it was an entertaining epic film, it significantly underplays the whole Gospel message which is much more than a ‘story’ - it’s the Word of God. Maybe it should have been called The Greatest Event Ever.
Or maybe, something about great comebacks would hit the mark. Maybe a reference to Ali and Foreman in the famous Rumble in the Jungle when a middle-aged Ali showed he was far from at the end of the line. Or perhaps a reference to Frank Sinatra who has had more comebacks than a ball on an elastic string.
But that’s to miss the point. Jesus wasn’t about fanfares and fuss. If he was around today, he wouldn’t have had Ant & Dec at the tomb side with a huge array of lights and cameras. It’s also a fairly safe bet that he wouldn’t have been sitting down for an interview with Oprah on Easter Monday.
Jesus comes to us quietly: almost unobtrusively. He doesn’t want or need the bright lights. He didn’t choose to appear in front of Herod or the Chief Priests and Pharisees amidst a great flash of lightning with bolts of thunder and fire as if to say – ‘told you I’d be back’ or ’Who’s got the last word now then?’
Rather, this unparalleled, supreme, world changing event - The Resurrection of our Lord - is ushered in with an intimate encounter with Mary Magdalene by a quiet tomb and on dark morning just before dawn. We see the loving caring Jesus coming to Mary at a time when she is overcome by grief. Mary hadn’t gone to the tomb expecting to see if the prophesy would come true and that Jesus was alive. Indeed, it was probably unlikely that the disciples had even discussed with her any of what Jesus had said in the time leading up to his death. It was also equally unlikely that the disciples really understood the meaning of what Jesus had told them – that would be far too ‘unbelievable’ wouldn’t it?
Mary has gone to tomb to tend to the body of her dear Lord and make preparations for his final burial rites. She is distraught and grief stricken at the loss of Jesus and just when things can’t get any worse, it looks like someone has stolen his body. It is in this moment of despair that Jesus comes to her with total compassion and love, and he asks, “Woman, why are you weeping?” We can’t know why Mary did not recognise him. Maybe her eyes were swollen and full of tears, or maybe that’s just the way Jesus wanted it at that moment. Perhaps he didn’t want to shock her and was giving her some time to calm down a little.
In this moment of stillness and calm with Mary’s emotions raw, it is Jesus who has found Mary and calls her. Importantly, he has called her by her name and it is at this moment that her eyes are opened and she realises that it is her Lord, her Jesus standing with her. How fantastic must that moment have been for Mary? Who needs the fanfares and trumpets? This simple act of calling her by her name changes everything for all of us forever, He knows Mary will spread the gospel news. Mary, the first witness to the resurrection, will do as Jesus has bid her and go and tell his disciples that she has seen the risen Lord.
Whilst we can only reflect in envy on the Mary’s awesome experience there is something in this for us to think about. If we are expecting to hear Jesus coming to us in a Blaze of Glory then it’s probably unlikely to happen. But we know we can always expect him to be there for us in our time of need, when we are mourning, lonely, stressed, or just feeling down. If we listen carefully, we will hear him calling us by our name. And it’s not just the bad times when he calls us - think about those times when you’ve marvelled at the world, the lovely scenery around us, the animals and plants you see as you go on a walk, or maybe just in a quiet moment of thought. Jesus will be there with us, calling us by our name and asking us, like Mary, to share the Good News.
Jesus is Risen – Halleluiah!
A Reflection by Archdeacon David Sharples
Our Prayers
God of Promise and God of Hope,
who through your great mercy
have granted us new birth
through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ,
