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In touch

Up-to-the-minute jumping-off points for sermons, linking the reading to the latest news and global issues

Alive or Dead?

What responses did and does Jesus’ resurrection cause (Matthew 28:1-10).

Context

• Donald Trump has become the first ex-President of the USA to face criminal charges after a Grand Jury voted to indict him.
• In the UK the first definitive stamps to feature the head of King Charles III have been issued.
• Meanwhile the cost-of-living crisis continues to cause hardship for many people.

 

Ideas for sermons or interactive talks

Different people react to items of news in different ways. Some people will prejudge the trial of Donald Trump either believing he must be guilty or that it is the result of an anti-Trump conspiracy. It’s likely that issues around it will dominate the news over the coming weeks and it will be up to individuals to discern the truth from what is reported and that will shape their response. People receive news differently and their reactions may differ according to their own context.

On the first Easter Day there would have been many different responses as the news of the (alleged) resurrection emerged. The guards shook and became like dead men. The women appear to have been more responsive. However, it is only when the full truth is made clear through the appearance of Jesus himself that the women respond with total joy which flows from their understanding of what is actually going on.

After any death there are a plethora of emotions and stages that people go through, ranging from guilt to disbelief. It sometimes takes quite a while for the fact of death to sink in. As the women went to Jesus’ tomb, they were no doubt trying to process what they had witnessed and maybe hoping that actually they had got it wrong. Although it is several months since the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II, for many it is still a lot to take in. For myself, when the Prince of Wales is mentioned, I still feel a pang of surprise when it is Prince William and not Prince Charles who appears on the screen.

This week new stamps have been issued which feature the head of King Charles. This will help to play a part in bringing home the truth that we have a new monarch. I wonder if the earthquake helped the women to face up to both the death and the new life that Jesus had through the resurrection.

In reflecting on the resurrection story, we cannot lock reactions and responses into the past; we are challenged to look at our responses and reactions today. This Easter weekend many will respond in a similar way to the guards. The guards became like dead men. They neither rejoiced nor denied the rising of Jesus. It just went on around them. Others will be like the women and fall to their knees and worship the Risen Lord. Others will take seriously his instruction to tell others the good news. However, this brings with it its own challenge. What is good news for those who are struggling as a result of the cost-of-living crisis.

If the resurrection is truly to bring hope to this generation, that hope must be practical as well as spiritual.

 

Questions for discussion

• How have you encountered the Risen Jesus?
• What good news do you want to share?
• How does the resurrection make a difference to everyday life?

Revd Stuart Wild is the Superintendent Minister of the Blackpool and South Fylde Methodist Circuit.

 

Check-in

Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues for young people

Picture this: something breaks, perhaps your phone - something you love very dearly.
You go to tend to it; maybe you think you can fix it; but you discover it has then disappeared.
You’re upset, you’re angry, you’re confused.

Then, it is given back to you, by an Angel, but it has been upgraded!
You’re overjoyed, you're scared, you’re still confused.
Was this an April Fools'? - albeit a week too late. Does this make the prankster the fool for trying to fool you too late?

Did you fall for any April Fools' jokes in the news this week? Feeling excited and then let down? I mean who wouldn’t love an Ant and Dec James Bond take over?!

But it’s not an April Fool. The thing you love, the thing you thought was broken, came back, better!

If you haven’t caught on yet, we’re talking about Jesus’ resurrection here and not a mobile phone. How would it have felt to actually be there, after so much suffering over Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Saturday to then be told that Jesus had returned? Would you have felt scared, or confused or overjoyed?

Ok. Now what about how you feel about Jesus’ next return to Earth? Jesus' resurrection was not the end of the story. The women at the tomb were told that Jesus would rise again, but they were still scared and amazed by the whole experience. We too have been told that Jesus will return, so how does that leave us feeling today?

The Angel told the women to go and tell his disciples that he had risen. They physically had to run to tell them. It’s easier for us to share the same good news about Jesus' resurrection and witness their reactions to it – we can use our mobile phones! Which this week also, coincidently celebrates 50 years since the first ever mobile phone call was made. I’m sure that also caused some fear, confusion and excitement back then!

Natasia Bullock is Director of The B Tales Theatre company

 

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