Easter Day: Alleluia!

Sunday March 31

An Easter reflection by the Rev Roddy Hamilton

Luke 24:1-6

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.’

Reflection

The angels have hankies
Stuffed in their mouths
Muffling their sniggers
And giggling
As they hide behind the stone
Watching the broken women
Make their way to the tomb

Can they not hear the birds
And the trees
And the water
And the bees
And the air
And the whales
And the mountains
All clap their hands?

It. Is. A. Roar.

But grief becomes the women
And tears blind them
For they notice
The tombstone is gone
And the grave is empty

What horror!
What utter dismay!
Not three days old
And they have stolen him.

‘Now!’ whisper the angels to each other
As they skedaddle from behind the stone
All prim and proper-like
Brushing themselves down
Trying not to laugh
Composing themselves
Pulling on their serious faces
For news of the biggest joke heaven has yet played.

‘Why do you look for the living among the dead?’
They ask regally, almost getting away with it.
But they can no longer hold it together
And burst into an explosion of joy and laughter.

The women look at them
Horrified and confused

For the laugh of an angel
Sounds exactly like:

‘ALLELUIA!’

Prayer

May we find more than just words for today
But a way of being today
A way of living beyond the hopelessness
Beyond the shadows and the conflict
May we find a way of discovering life in each other
And trusting that life
Is tenacious and strong
Long lasting and forever possible
Full of promise and will never let us go
There is our Easter faith
And we will rejoice in it

The Rev Roddy Hamilton is minister of New Kilpatrick Parish Church, Bearsden.