Easter Letter from Jerusalem

Richard Sewell, Dean of St George's College, Jerusalem, writes:

Christ is risen indeed!

The Easter rising sun eventually broke through dark, heavy clouds and bathed the Mount of Olives in gentle sunlight evoking resurrection daybreak.

The gospel spoke powerfully into our situation, but as the preacher, Rev Sally Azar said in her sermon, the resurrection story comes to us as those who wake to the fear of what has happened in the night and what might yet happen in the day. As if to remind us, the planes of war rumbled over our heads as deadly destruction continues hour by hour. We can identify with the Marys and Peter going to Christ's tomb more out of fear and sadness than with a sense of resolution which is possible when the clouds of darkness are not as overpowering as they feel today.

But Christ was resurrected into a world also not resolved and not basking in tranquility. The disciples heard Jesus's comforting acclamation, 'Do not be afraid' when they still had every reason to shudder with trepidation. The reassurance to them and to us is not that nothing awful or painful will happen to us on the road ahead, but we know the risen Christ goes ahead of us and also walks beside us.

Christ is risen indeed, hallelujah!