The Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith
Today’s Gospel: John 20:1-18
Alleluia. Christ is Risen! The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!
This is the great Easter proclamation that is as old as the faith itself. It expresses the wonderful joy of our faith, the essential good news of Christianity: the tomb is empty, Jesus has risen from the dead, sin and death have been defeated.
The message of Easter is that God’s love wins over the forces of death and destruction!
We nailed Jesus to the cross, we tried to extinguish his message, his truth, his way of life. But God’s love is bigger than our sin. God transformed the cross from an instrument of torture and death into a symbol of radical love and new life. As a result, we are promised that there is always something on the other side of pain and suffering, there is always something on the other side of disaster and death.
“Be not afraid!” These are the empowering words of Easter. The promise of the empty tomb declares that Jesus goes before us, blazing a path for us to follow, and where Christ has gone we need not fear. The late Rev. Peter Gomes, in one of his sermons, once said, “Christ went to the cross; we need not fear the cross. Christ went to the grave; we need not fear the grave. Christ has gone into the future; we need not fear the future.” The world is still a scary place, but we have more than our fear to cling to; we can cling to the promise of Easter.
From all of us here at the Cathedral, Happy Easter and thank you for taking this Lenten journey with us. These daily readings and reflections have been an experiment, an offering from the Cathedral to all of you. I hope you have found them valuable.
If you have feedback or comments to share regarding these daily meditations, I hope you will reply to this email and let us know. God bless you and keep you. No matter where you are, please know that you are part of our Cathedral family.
Your friend in Christ,
Randy+
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
The strife is o’er, the battle done;
the victory of life is won;
the song of triumph has begun.
Alleluia!
The powers of death have done their worst,
but Christ their legions has dispersed.
Let shouts of holy joy outburst.
Alleluia!
The three sad days are quickly sped;
he rises glorious from the dead.
All glory to our risen Head.
Alleluia!
He closed the yawning gates of hell;
the bars from heaven’s high portals fell.
Let hymns of praise his triumph tell.
Alleluia!
Lord, by the stripes which wounded thee,
from death’s dread sting thy servants free,
that we may live and sing to thee.
Alleluia!
Henry Alford (1810-1871)