Sourton, Bratton Clovelly, Lydford and Germansweek, Easter Day, 8/4/2012
PART 1
Recall a moment when you were surprised by joy:
The winning ticket in the prize draw;
Top marks in the subject you’d previously expected to fail;
Opening your door to a long-lost friend you thought you’d never see again;
The declaration of love to you who thought you’d never hear anyone say those words.....
(Conversation....)
You have an inkling, then, of the joy which the disciples felt on being surprised by the risen Christ....
PART 2
The story of the resurrection is about the followers of Jesus being surprised by joy.
Not least Mary in the garden, her heart filling up with inexpressible joy as she realised that the man who met her there, was Jesus himself;
The disciples, huddled in an upstairs room astonished and amazed and filled with wonder as the presence of the risen Lord filled the room;
Those who met him on the road, a companion who comforted them with their words, their eyes being opened when he broke bread at their table....
.... each wonderfully surprised by joy.
And that can be our resurrection story too:
We who previously haven’t understood the fullness of Jesus’ promises of new life - now can;
We who feel that our faith is too dim - can be surprised by the light of Christ opening us up to new things;
We who feel that our faith has grown cold - can be surprised by the power of the resurrection to bring new life again.
We might be aware that before the joy comes an element of fear:
Mark’s gospel makes this clear to us - the first response of the disciples to the empty tomb was fear.
Would the absence of a body implicate them in a situation where they would be pursued and punished, just as Jesus himself had been?
Would the presence of a resurrected Jesus challenge them to change their lives in ways which would unsettle and discomfort them?
These fears may be ours too - if I am to open myself fully to the power of the resurrected Christ what will that do to me? What will he want of me?
Jesus demanded that the rich ruler should give up all he had, sell it and share his riches with the poor; Jesus demanded that his disciples should take up their cross - and campaign like he did against the powers of death in the world, a very risky strategy indeed.
No wonder the followers of Jesus get frightened by the prospect of the resurrected Christ at work in their lives.
But the resurrection power is a greater power than fear. The resurrection power is a power of love, which issues in joy.
And so the fearful disciples were transformed into the reborn disciples, who preached and taught and healed and loved and laughed the rest of their lives away - surprised by joy, transformed by Jesus.
May that same Jesus, in his resurrected power, surprise us with joy today, help us overcome any fears we might have about following him, and start us on a new path of life.
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