Chaplain

Eggs and hot cross buns; the symbols of Easter adorn our shops when we head out of our homes for that quick, essential shopping trip. These symbols point to a message of love, hope and life, which is so needed in our current situation.

I was listening to Radio National this morning as they interviewed Dr Jodie McVernon from the Doherty Institute, the Director of the Epidemiology Department. She was speaking about the various modelling of the Coronavirus to help work out prudent strategies for our country. Her observation at the end was that this is so distressing as the reality dawns that there is and will be a death toll. Death, she said is something we are unaccustomed to in an age of so many medical triumphs.

We find untimely death challenging and this is what makes Easter this year even more powerful and poignant.

The Crosses remind us that while Jesus experienced an untimely and unjust death, it was for our sake and it was not the end of the Easter account. Jesus, to everyone’s surprise, rose from the dead. He walked with his disciples, ate with them, they touched his hands and they were convinced that Jesus, who had been dead, was now alive.

The cross thus embodies a powerful message that death is not the end and an even more powerful message of love for all who wish to accept Jesus. This message of hope and love rang in the ears of the disciples, transforming them as they understood their lives as part of a far bigger picture. I love the quote from the bible that captures their new perspective:

‘Death has been swallowed up in victory,
Where, O death, is your victory
Where, O death, is your sting’. 1 Corinthians 15:54,55

This same victory song has been picked up by poets and artists throughout generations and is the very heartbeat of the Christian faith. One of my particular favourites is John Donne’s Sonnet:

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou think’st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.

From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul’s delivery.

Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell’st thou then?

One short sleep past, we wake eternally
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

The significant symbols of eggs speak to life. I remember as a child thinking that the eggs were an image of the empty tomb. I loved the clever trick my Dad did in breaking open a large egg to find some strips of linen – imagine my surprise when I bought my own eggs and did not find any linen! Yet the real meaning of the egg is the breaking forth into new life. New life that is not immediately evident with the hard smooth shell but suddenly bursting forth as the chick breaks out. How can that not be a retelling of the Resurrection at every hatching. So Easter eggs promise us that, as we trust in Jesus, we too will break forth from the barren grave into the eternal life he promises. We too can live in his kingdom where there is no death, no sickness, no pain and no tears. Surely this is a message of love, hope and life we need to be reminded of right now!

So may this Easter be a time of searching and finding hope. May you and your family discover the abundant love of the Lord God and may you thrill at the new life that the cross and the empty tomb offers you.

We invite you to join in services this Easter as you reflect on this:

St Peters Cremorne. https://stpeterscremorne.org.au/
St Thomas North Sydney https://www.st-thomas.org.au/
St Augustines (Bay and Bridge Church) https://bayandbridge.online.church/
St Matthews Manly https://www.stmattsmanly.org.au/

Resources 

The new Chapel page on ilearn offers not only remote Chapel services but a host of resources that may be helpful over the coming days such as:

• Mediation
• Prayer
• Bible reading
• What is a Christian?
• Coping with grief in our unusual situation
• Good new stories and ideas to keep us positive
• Music from Chapel
• Student Christian groups
• One question for God

My hope is that everyone can find something of relevance that connects to them. All Secondary Students have access to this page.

Happy Easter and God bless you all at this time.

Ms Bronwyn Lihou
Senior Campus Chaplain
blihou@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9830

Ms Fiona McKenzie
Junior Campus Chaplain
fmckenzie@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9953 6022