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Meditations on Easter
ByAlwyn Lau
 
Eternal Word, New Writing
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Wordwas God.” (John 1:1)Think of yesterday. Then the day before. Then another day back. And another. Keep thinking.Roll back time
alllllllll 
the way back as
 faaaaaaaar 
as you can – 
bump!
What do you get? Here’swhat I think: You get Jesus. He’s at the beginning. He’s the start of time. He presses
 Play
. In fact,this story is His. It’s grand, it’s big, it’s full of life, it’s filled with light. But it’s also been spoilt,it’s been contaminated with sub-stories not meant to be there, it’s got some bad words inserted byan enemy (and anti-story teller, if you will), it’s even been swerved away from the direction itwas meant to go.Kinda like Star Wars having Anakin Sky-Walker transformed into the meanest bad guy thegalaxy has seen when he
 should’ve
been the Saviour of all. Thank George Lucas for 
 Luke
Sky-Walker.“In Him was life, and that life was the light of men…the true light that giveslight to every man…” (John 1:4, 9)And thank God for Jesus. Jesus, the
Word 
of God has come to set the story right again, to restoreall
words
. He’s the author who’s jumped into His own story to repair, renew and redeem it. Noway in heaven or hell (or earth, for that matter) is the Bad Guy going to emerge triumphant. Thisisn’t some dumb Hollywood horror script leaving a nasty taste in the mouth when the curtaindescends.“(To) all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave theright to become children of God...children born of God.” (John 1:1)Whatever your story is, the invitation is open. All are welcome to partake of God’s great story, tomerge your chapters into His book. To let the Great Author Himself copy (write) His idioms ontoyours. Holy Ghost(-writing) into your heart, birthing God’s vivacity into your style, your plot,your very design.
 
How Real The Gap
“He has risen!” (Mark 16:1-8)Dead and rotting. Alive and powerful! The images couldn’t be more different, more disparate.One is filled with the darkness of nothingness, the stench of decay, the sorrow of loss. The other has the light of being, the aroma of new humanity, the joy of living loving and sharing. Oneexposes ultimate weakness, the other perfecting newness.Maybe we don’t draw this contrast deeply enough. Too many glorious Easter church services, toomany Easter cards, too many happy-looking Easter bunnies and yummy-fied Easter eggs. Wecan’t feel and can barely imagine the
utter dryness and complete negation
of the tomb.We are worlds (almost literally) away from the first women on that first Easter morning. Jesus’mum, Mary Magdalene and another woman named Salome set off 
expecting 
to find sad traces of a love forever vanquished only to be witnesses to undying love and incorruptible life as never  before. “He has risen!” rings very differently in modern capitalist 21
st
century than it did in thefeudal-agrarian first.Jesus has risen.Jesus has risen from the dead.Jesus has risen from the dead against the odds.Jesus has risen from the dead against the odds and against every evil in the universe.Jesus has risen from the dead against the odds and against every evil in the universe so theuniverse is given a new birth.Jesus has risen from the dead against the odds and against every evil in the universe so theuniverse is given a new birth and we are re-birthed too when we accept this newness He has tooffer.Action:
1.
Think hard: What surprises you most about Easter? What do you think 
 should 
surprise all of us?2.What analogies or stories can you use to communicate the surprise and awe of that firstEaster morning?
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