A day like no other

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At the beginning of Passover, the head of a Jewish household declares, "This is a night like no other!"

 

And, for us, this is a day like no other. It has been a Holy Week like no other, a Maundy Thursday like no other, a Good Friday like no other. Now, this is an Easter like no other. What do you think? How have these weeks been for you? For me it has felt empty. It has felt confusing. It has felt like no other.

 

This is a day like no other. This is an Easter like no other. This is a Sunday of the Resurrection like no other.

 

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Easter has not been cancelled nor has it been postponed. The Church has not vanished.

 

The colours of the hangings that mark the seasons have still, in some churches, changed from the purple of Lent into the red of Palm Sunday and Holy Week. Palm crosses were still available for us at St Matthew - St Aidan, thanks to two of the faithful in our midst. Even though the barren colour of Good Friday was part of the journey of Holy Week, still that emptiness gave way to the white of Easter.

 

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On this day, a day like no other, it is the darkness that vanishes.

 

On this day, like no other, the isolation that we may feel amidst COVID-19 vanishes. The fear and worry we may be feeling vanishes. They vanish because this day, like no other, is a day of hope. It's a day of new life, new understanding, new meaning. It is a day that beckons us to experience the hope of new life. It is an invitation to trod on with the hope of deeper understanding and meaning. It is a day like no other that promises us that we are not alone no matter how our feelings may ebb and flow in the face of the realities of life in this world. Because of this day, there is hope beyond Gethsemane.

 

Because of this day, like no other, the Church will never vanish. The Church will never vanish because of the Risen Jesus Christ. He lives on in the Church throughout the world. The Church lives on because it is his body in this world. The Church lives on because of you, because you are the members of his body - the Body of the Risen Christ.

 

***

When you pray for someone, you embody hope. When you reach out to someone in need, you embody hope. When you hold fast to faith in the midst of darkness, you embody hope, hope for others to taste, hope for you to taste. Because of this day like no other, there is hope.

 

There is hope. There is forgiveness. And there is love. It is hope and it is forgiveness and it is love that are here in this day. They don't magically change things but they do enable us to venture on and to reach into a sense of peace as we learn more always on the journey of faith.

 

There is another side to the message of this day. It's quite simple yet it is profound. It is simply that you are forgiven because you are forgivable. You are loved because you are lovable. That is what empowers you to forgive and that is what empowers you to love. And that gives hope. That is why the Church will never vanish. The Church lives on in the Risen Jesus Christ in the kingdom of heaven where he is surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses who have gone before. And the Church lives on in the forgiveness you bring and in the love you share.

 

And so Easter goes on forever. Easter is a promise in the now and an invitation into forever.

 

Alleluia … alleluia … alleluia. Christ is risen. May the blessing and the promise of Easter touch your heart especially on this day, the day like no other.

 

Amen.

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10 Comments

  1. Jack Ross Roberts on 13 April 2020 at 10:29 AM

    Beautiful! You have risen and we all rise to hope and love as our Lord has risen. Alleluia.

    • Father Glenn on 13 April 2020 at 11:10 AM

      Happy Easter to you Jack and to Mary. Blessings to you both. Glenn

  2. Bev Hoyle on 12 April 2020 at 5:56 PM

    Glenn, thank you for your wonderful message today. Happy Easter to you and your family.
    I hope that we can all get together at Church in the not so distant future.

    God bless you

    • Father Glenn on 12 April 2020 at 8:01 PM

      Happy Easter, Bev. Sta well. Thanks for your comments. Blessings to you, Glenn

  3. Olive on 12 April 2020 at 3:54 PM

    Rev’d Glenn,
    As you say a day like no other.
    The Audio message of Hope, Love and Faith through the Risen Jesus Christ. Alleluia.
    You spoke with a lot of feeling and our Church Family are Blessed to have you.
    Blessings and Peace.
    Olive and Ray.

    • Father Glenn on 12 April 2020 at 5:45 PM

      Peace and Blessings to you and to Ray. Thank you for your kind comments. I miss not being together for Easter !

      Glenn

  4. Bev Strongitharm on 12 April 2020 at 3:00 PM

    This is most definitely a day like no other. A day where we have hope and love through the resurrection of Jesus, our Lord and Saviour. Blessings to you for your audio message Father Glenn. May God continue to bless you as you continue to speak of, share and spread our Lord’s love to His people. Amen.

    • Father Glenn on 12 April 2020 at 3:09 PM

      Amen, Bev. Blessings to you at Easter ! Glenn 🙂

  5. Nancy Fairweather on 12 April 2020 at 2:03 PM

    Thank you Rev. Glenn, inspiring!

    • Glenn Empey on 12 April 2020 at 2:11 PM

      Blessings and Peace to you and Derry. Happy Easter! Glenn

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