The greeting of the Orthodox Church at Easter is:
Christos aneste! Christ is risen!
Alaythos aneste! He is risen indeed!
Look – the tomb is empty!
Where can our Lord be found?
He is not here.
He is risen!
Alleluia!
This last summer saw unprecedented bushfires that burned from Queensland down much of the east coast as well as in parts of Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia. Millions of native animals and birds died, forests were scorched and many people lost their homes.
Lives were lost. Memories were seared with images of huge flames and the sky turning red and even black. Yet out of the destruction, new life is now emerging. Where there was only death, there is now hope.
So it was at the first Easter. Their leader, the one whom they hoped to be the Messiah, the self-confessed Son of Man, had been arrested, tried, mocked, beaten and killed. His body had been laid in a tomb and the entrance sealed with a large stone. Their hopes now lay in tatters, their future now painful and uncertain.
Yet strange news was afoot on Sunday … the stone was rolled away and the tomb was empty. Jesus, it seemed, had mysteriously risen from the dead. In the wilderness, their experience of the empty tomb was transformed into vibrant hope. Joy and laughter replaced tears and sadness. The world would never be the same again.
In our troubling times, may we find our place in this story.
And may hope and the possibility of new life drive away our sadness and gloom.
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
Enjoy a joyful recording of the traditional song Christ the Lord is risen today
Or participate in a full worship service recorded by the members of Croydon, Croydon North, Heathmont, Ringwood and North Ringwood Uniting Churches.