Easter Sunday, April 17th 2022 -“An Idle Tale”

Dear all,

Today (April 15th) is Good Friday, which we anticipated last Sunday.  We are now looking forward to Easter –  depicted in the image below in an unusual way. Typically, we expect the risen Christ, trumpets, Easter eggs, bunnies and chicks – all symbols of the new life of Spring.  Here we have the women who have visited  the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body with spices and ointments. There they have encountered mystery: the stone rolled away and just a linen should where they expect the body. Then two messengers in white appear to remind them of Jesus’ words that they had forgotten: he is risen.  Still confused, they run back to the male disciples to pass on what they have been told. But instead of a rousing “Hallelujah”, this first report of Easter meets with a cold and unenthusiastic reception. The male disciples are still huddled together in the fear and despair and guilt of Good Friday, closed to the outside world on which the women have opened a window.  They dismiss what the women say as “an idle tale.” The word used in Luke’s gospel is leros, from which we get our word delirium. It might also be translated as crazy, insane, nonsense, garbage, all indicating a good dose of skepticism. We recall that women’s testimony wasn’t worth anything in a Jewish court in those days. Women were assumed to be unreliable and hysterical. All this to say that Resurrection faith doesn’t happen immediately that first Easter morning.  But the mystery of what has happened and what it means continues to unfold. Luke’s point is that there is a gap between what has actually happened and the human ability to take it in –  which will grow richer and deeper and fuller as time goes on.  

Order of service