Ministers Letter

We hear the cries of Christians worldwide: ‘Christ has risen’! On that first Easter morning, when dawn broke, the women hurried to the tomb not to confirm Jesus’s resurrection but to complete the anointment of a dead body.  

We know the conversation the angels had with them when they arrived at the tomb and found the stone rolled away. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then, go quickly and tell his disciples. 

Matthew says they were afraid yet filled with joy. We can easily imagine their feelings and picture their reaction. We have to smile and maybe chuckle over the scene, especially when, while they are hurrying away, Jesus appears before them.

As keepers of the Easter story, we must be more prepared to celebrate, understand and share this reality in our own time and context.

If we believe that Jesus rose from the dead as the result of God’s plan of love, grace and forgiveness for all, as scripture tells us it is, then it matters. It mattered not only 2,000+ years ago, but it continues to matter today.

The world, our nation, our communities and our neighbourhoods are only touched and transformed by the message of Easter if we, as the ‘keepers of the story’, learn how to share and live it with the power it holds, not power born of violence and oppression but power born of love, grace, forgiveness and sacrifice. 

Easter people are those who follow in the footsteps and example of the risen Lord Jesus, bringing life and hope to all we seek to service and love.

Yours in Christ 

Marcia

Minister - Revd. Marcia Tull - marcia.tull@methodist.org.uk