Clergy Notes — Sunday, April 1, 2018

For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

– 1 Corinthians 1:18

“It’s a rare opportunity. The last time Easter fell on April Fools’ Day was in 1956. Due to the quirks involved in dating Easter against the Gregorian calendar, the two coincide only intermittently. After 2018, the next one is 2029, and then again in 2040—but after that, not again in this century. April Fools’ Day is not significant in Christianity, but it is the perfect excuse to talk about jokes in the Bible.”¹

As a prankster, I love a good joke…and a bad pun or two, just ask Fr. Kevin. However there is nothing foolish or amusing about the message of the cross and Christ Jesus, risen from the dead.

It is perhaps ironic that God chose to use and instrument of torture to bring us to salvation in Christ. The idea that God would take human form and suffer a most horrific and painful death, sounds absolutely bonkers unless we dig a little deeper. What God would do such a thing? Our God, that’s who.

Most other religions demand of believers to rise to a certain level in order to attain perfection, but Jesus does it for us, coming down from heaven, meeting us where we are. God does not cast a spell over us, we are not asked to perform sacrifices, duties, or obtain levels of belief. No. Jesus took the weight of the world on his shoulders (literally carrying his own cross to Golgotha), and died for the sins of the whole word to bring humanity back into relationship with God.

While Christian people around the world will be celebrating Jesus’ resurrection this Sunday, we can never lose sight of the fact that Jesus died for the whole word, that God gave his only Son for all. We are not an exclusive club. We are a communion that exists in unity and we are a people (here at St. James’) that continues to welcome and include all people, because that is what Christ did.

The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Happy Easter to you all.

Mother Lucy

 

[1] Miles Townes, When Easter Sunday falls on April Fools’ Day, February 21, 2018. https://www.christiancentury.org/article/critical-essay/when-easter-sunday-falls-april-fools-day Accessed March 29th 2018.