Pastoral Letter 261
Dear Members of St. Andrew’s Uniting Church, Friends and Adherents,
Grace and peace to you all. I hope all is well.
By God’s grace we have come to the end of our Lenten Journey, a journey of self-denial, self-examination, prayer and supplication. In the last week of the Season, we continued the last part of our journey with Jesus, who headed to Calvary, to the cross, to be a willing sacrifice for our sins and to give us hope of salvation through His death and resurrection. On Good Friday we revisited the site of the crucifixion, to the hill of Calvary, also known as Golgotha, gathered at the foot of the Jesus’ Cross, to see His pain, His suffering and His death, expressing His sacrificial love for us all. We reflected on His final seven words or sayings, which refer to Forgiveness, Faith, Family, Forsaken, Fire, Finished and Forever: the 7 Fs.
Tomorrow, on Easter Morning, we will visit the empty tomb with Mary to be a witness and to raise our voices and praise, celebrating the glorious resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We will proclaim once again that He was dead, but now He lives, He was buried, but now the tomb is empty, He was gone, but now He walks with us, and He is alive.
If you are not able to join us tomorrow for worship, please light a candle and join us for worship following the Order of the Service.
Just a note to remind you that some of us will be away in Wagga Wagga from 28 April to 5 May. For Sunday 4 May service we have made arrangements with our neighbouring Crows Nest Uniting Church to join their service at 10:00 am in Cros Nest. I encourage those who are not going on the trip to join Crows Nest folk for Sunday service. On Sunday 4 May, I will take the service at the Wagga Wagga Wesley Uniting Church and we will enjoy their fellowship and warm hospitality.
Please let me know if you or anyone else has prayer points.
Here are some prayer points for this week:
- Pray as we conclude our Lent journey and raise your praise because He is alive.
- Pray for those who are affected by wars and natural disasters.
- Pray for trusting God and asking that He protect those who need protection.
- Pray for the poor, the sick, the hungry, the struggling and the stressed.
- Pray for the coming Federal Election on 3 May 2025 hoping and praying that the right people are elected to serve our country.
- Pray for following seven months, June to December, as we plan to welcome visiting, regular and casual, guest preachers to lead our services after my retirement.
In Christ
Krikor
MESSAGE
He Is Alive!
John 20:1–18
It’s just before sunrise on Sunday morning. The sky is still dim, shadows stretch across the earth, and the world is quiet. But in the heart of one woman, a storm is raging—grief, love, loss, confusion. Mary Magdalene, who had followed Jesus so closely, is on her way to His tomb. She can’t wait any longer.
Jesus had been crucified on Friday. He died, publicly and brutally. And though His body had been laid in the tomb of a kind man named Joseph of Arimathea, there hadn’t been time to properly anoint Him. The Sabbath had begun, and Jewish law prohibited them from doing any work—including preparing a body for burial. So, Mary waited. And now, the moment the Sabbath ends, she’s up early, making her way to the tomb.
But nothing could have prepared her for what she finds.
The stone has been rolled away.
This wasn’t just any stone. Tombs in those days were sealed with massive circular stones that rolled into a groove across the entrance. They were meant to stay put. It would have taken several strong men to move it. And here it is—rolled back.
Her heart drops. She doesn’t even look inside at first. Her instinct is panic: Someone has taken Him. Maybe grave robbers. Maybe enemies trying to dishonour Him even in death. Maybe the Roman soldiers. Whoever it was, the only thing she can think is, “They’ve taken my Lord, and I don’t know where they’ve put Him.”
She runs—fast—to Peter and John. She needs help, and these are the two she trusts most. It’s interesting, isn’t it? She goes to Peter, the one who just days earlier had denied Jesus three times. But she still sees him as a leader, someone solid. It’s a reminder that God doesn’t discard us when we fail—He restores us and continues to use us.
Peter and John race to the tomb. John arrives first. He’s younger, maybe faster. But he stops outside. Peter, true to character, rushes straight in. And what they find is… confusing. The body is gone, yes—but the grave clothes are still there. Not tossed aside in haste, but lying neatly. The head cloth is folded by itself. It’s as if Jesus had simply slipped out of them.
This isn’t the scene of a grave robbery. Robbers wouldn’t have taken time to unwrap a body carefully, let alone fold the linens.
John steps in, sees what Peter sees—and believes. Maybe not fully understanding everything yet, but something inside him awakens. Something tells him: This isn’t the end.
Still, not knowing what to do, they head back home.
But Mary stays.
She’s not ready to leave. She kneels outside the tomb, tears streaming down her face. And then, for the first time, she looks in—and what she sees takes her breath away.
Two angels. One at the head, one at the foot of where Jesus’ body had been. A heavenly balance, almost like the mercy seat in the temple, where God’s presence once dwelled between two cherubim. Now here, in a tomb, the presence of God has come again. The angels ask her gently: “Woman, why are you crying?” They’re not being insensitive. They just know what she doesn’t yet: that her grief is about to be transformed into joy.
Still weeping, she replies: “They’ve taken my Lord away, and I don’t know where they’ve put Him.”
Then she turns—and sees someone standing there.
She doesn’t realize it’s Jesus. Maybe the light is behind Him. Maybe His resurrection body looks different. Maybe her grief is clouding her eyes. Whatever the reason, she thinks He’s the gardener.
He speaks: “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you’re looking for?”
These are powerful questions, aren’t they? Not just for Mary—but for us.
Why are you crying?
What are you looking for?
Are we seeking hope in the wrong places?
Are we clinging to sorrow when joy is standing right in front of us?
Mary pleads with Him, thinking He might know where the body is. “Sir, if you’ve taken Him, tell me where you’ve put Him, and I’ll go get Him.”
Then, everything changes.
Jesus says just one word: “Mary.”
That’s it. Her name.
And in that moment, light floods her soul. The Good Shepherd calls His sheep by name, and she recognizes His voice. “Rabboni!” she cries out. “My dear Teacher!”
She throws herself at Him, probably falls to her knees, maybe even hugs His feet. But Jesus says something strange: “Don’t hold on to me. I haven’t yet ascended to the Father.”
Why? Because things are different now. Jesus is no longer just her earthly Teacher. He is the risen Lord. The relationship is still personal, still full of love—but now it’s by faith, not by sight. From now on, Jesus’ followers would relate to Him through the Spirit, not physically.
But then comes the commission: “Go to my brothers and tell them…”
Mary Magdalene becomes the first preacher of the resurrection. The first person Jesus sends with the good news. The first apostle, if you will. Isn’t it amazing? A woman, in a culture where women’s testimony wasn’t even accepted in court, is chosen by Jesus to carry the message that changed the world.
She goes back and declares it plainly: “I have seen the Lord!”
So, what does this mean for us?
Let’s reflect on three ways people come to believe in the resurrection, all found in this story:
1. Historical Evidence
John believed when he saw the grave clothes. The empty tomb is not just a symbol—it’s a historical reality. Christian faith is rooted in real events. Books like Who Moved the Stone? and modern scholarship show that the resurrection is not just a comforting story—it’s a claim supported by compelling evidence. And if it’s true, it changes everything.
2. Scripture
Even though the disciples didn’t fully understand it yet, the resurrection was foretold in the Scriptures. Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, and many other passages speak of the suffering, death, and triumph of the Messiah. Faith grows when we immerse ourselves in God’s Word. When we know the story, we begin to see how everything fits.
3. Personal Encounter
Mary believed because she met Jesus personally. And while we don’t see Him physically, we can still encounter Him—through prayer, through worship, through the Holy Spirit working in our lives. We hear His voice call our name when we’re still enough to listen.
A Call to Action
Jesus didn’t rise just so we could keep it to ourselves. He rose so that we would go and tell the world. Mary’s first instinct was to cling to Him—to hold on and never let go. But Jesus says: “Don’t hold on to me—go and tell.” The way we “hold on” to Jesus now is by sharing Him with others.
The resurrection isn’t just a moment in history—it’s the power that fuels the mission of the church. If Jesus is alive, then hope is alive. Forgiveness is real. Death has lost its sting. And the world needs to know.
Closing Thought
Jesus said to Thomas later, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” That’s us. We haven’t seen Him with our eyes, but we’ve felt His presence. We’ve heard His voice. We’ve experienced His grace.
So, like Mary, we go out with a simple but powerful message: “I have seen the Lord.”
And now, we live to tell others:
He was dead—but now He lives.
He was buried—but the tomb is empty.
He was gone—but now He walks with us.
He is alive. Hallelujah!
Amen!