I have a deep longing to visit the Holy Land where folk tell me Bible stories come to life. My appetite was whetted further when I received our front page picture, taken by Peter Handisides of Waikanae when he visited the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem recently.
What a poignant scene. A tomb in the Garden where the words spoken by the angels two thousand years ago still resonate, “He is not here, he is risen”. A place to stop, contemplate, worship and rejoice.
The gospel records tell of the events of Easter. I was subdued afresh as I considered the unmitigated pain, suffering, humiliation, taunts and jeers of the crowd poured out on him. Then three hours when the world was shrouded in pitch darkness as Jesus paid the penalty of our sinfulness before the deafening silence was pierced by that heartrending cry — “My God” — Jesus expressing the horror of being forsaken by his Father. I wish I could understand all he suffered and appreciate that he suffered this for me. My response can only be in the words of the hymn by Isaac Watts , “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all”.
But the triumphant message of Easter is “the tomb is empty”. We serve a ‘Living Saviour’ one who asks us to follow in his footsteps. His invitation to his disciples is “take up your cross and follow me”.
This means that whatever the cost, we have the good of others at heart. An attitude so different to that of the world in which we live, where violence and self-centeredness reign supreme. Increasingly the intrinsic value of men, women and children is being disregarded. The newspapers are filled with stories of civil unrest, tyrannical leadership, sex trafficking and terrorist attacks. Nearer to home, the value of family is being neutralised, the importance of marriage demeaned and violence is becoming commonplace.
As concerning as these trends are, it is the insidious normalisation of our values that needs to be addressed. It started with easy divorce, then legalising abortion and prostitution and unnatural sexual relationships. Once on a slippery slope the descent gathers momentum. We see this happening all around us. The softening process has already begun with attempts to legalise same-sex marriage and adoptions, euthanasia and all that goes with it.
This Easter is an ideal opportunity to consider what God has done for us and the tremendous cost of our salvation. But it must not end there. We must also dedicate ourselves to genuinely love our neighbours and determine to be a voice that upholds righteousness in our homes, churches and community.
