Dean's Message

An Easter Message from the Dean

Christos Anesti (Χριστός Ανέστη) 
Alithos Anesti (Aληθώς ανέστη)

Alleluia! Christ is Risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Kua ara a te Karaiti! Hariruia!
He pono tonu, kua ara a ia! Hariruia!

The 40 day fast is past. The 50 day feast has arrived. We celebrate this bodily resurrection of the incarnate Christ in appropriately physical ways. We stand, we shout, we sing, we feel the baptismal waters being sprinkled over us, we rejoice with Easter foods: chocolate eggs or hot cross buns or Indian fugias or Dutch paasstol or English simnel cakes.

As we’ll find over the next 50 days, Christ makes himself present in very physical, tangible ways: A familiar voice calling in the garden, breaking bread on the road to Emmaus, a breakfast on the beach, the touch of wounds in hands and sides.

The story of Easter is too big to be contained without our whole beings. God redeems our physical selves, and invites us to use all of our senses to enrich our worship. At Eastertide I find myself relying heavily on the arts to draw me closer into the mystery and majesty of God. I hope you take time over the coming weeks to spend time with some of your favourite pieces of art/music/poetry and allow that to draw you into prayers of adoration and awe. My dear friends, rejoice! Death has been defeated. Love wins.

 

Easter Dawn – Malcolm Guite

He blesses every love which weeps and grieves
And now he blesses hers who stood and wept
And would not be consoled, or leave her love’s
Last touching place, but watched as low light crept
Up from the east. A sound behind her stirs
A scatter of bright birdsong through the air.
She turns, but cannot focus through her tears,
Or recognise the Gardener standing there.
She hardly hears his gentle question ‘Why,
Why are you weeping?’, or sees the play of light
That brightens as she chokes out her reply
‘They took my love away, my day is night’
And then she hears her name, she hears Love say
The Word that turns her night, and ours, to Day.