THE GARDEN TOMB

Many pilgrims to the Holy Land visit a beautiful place called the Garden Tomb. Some believers, a small minority, hold that it is the place where Jesus was crucified and buried. The small hill overlooking the beautiful place does indeed look like a skull and there too is an empty tomb carved into the rock. All around are beautiful trees and flowers with small stone altars placed here and there for groups to gather around for the celebration of the Eucharist.

HE IS NOT HERE BUT IS RISEN

There is a peace and tranquillity not easily found in the bustling city of Jerusalem and to celebrate the Eucharist using the Easter readings against the background of an empty tomb is a cherished memory for many a pilgrim. Alas the claim that this is the place of Resurrection is highly unlikely for a number of reasons though one cannot but wish it were otherwise. As the pilgrims leave this beautiful place they see a large sign above the exit gate to the Street, which proclaims some of the words of our text "He is not here but has risen".

JESUS IS EVERYWHERE

Of course, in the general sense, Christ is there but not only there. He is here in Christ Church Cathedral, He is in the street outside, and He is in the cities, towns, villages and rural townlands everywhere. He is not like other great people of history, such as Aristotle or Shakespeare or Mozart. They are dead as far as life goes but Jesus lives and is with us. He is the One whom St. John tells us was "in the beginning with God" and through whom all things come into being, whose glory was of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth. He is the One who rose from the dead. He lived, He died and He lives again. That is the glorious message of Easter.

AN EARTH SHATTERING EVENT

One would consider that most thoughtful people reflecting on the authenticity of the documentation regarding the Resurrection compared to many other events would accept it as the truth. The trouble is of course, that this event is so earth shattering, so seemingly impossible, so big, and so unique, that it is difficult to explain on evidence alone. We can identify and sympathise with those first witnesses who were so perplexed despite the hints given in the Old Testament and in the actual words of Jesus Himself. It is no wonder that they were running around like headless chickens. You see we seize the truth of the event by faith and then seek to understand.

CRUCIAL IMPORTANCE OF THE RESURRECTION

St. Paul in our epistle for today understands very clearly the crucial importance of the Resurrection. There were some in Corinth who, probably led astray by some philosophical theory, denied the Resurrection. Because of this St. Paul feels it absolutely necessary to confront them "without the resurrection Christ's death cannot save us; without the resurrection death is still victorious and without the resurrection, without the empty tomb, without the Lord who is recognisable, and who eats and drinks with His friends, there is no Christian faith". (Commentator Margaret Killingray). It is the cornerstone of our Faith.

THIS GLORIOUS EVENT

How the author of our Old Testament reading this morning would have rejoiced in this glorious event! Writing long before the Resurrection, long before the coming of Jesus, he nevertheless shows how deeply he has entered into the mind of God. In an earlier chapter he speaks of the rebelliousness of his people which brought so much disaster down upon them. Now he bursts into an exuberant hymn of praise which tells of God's burning desire for his people. God, he tells us, desires to create a new heaven and a new earth; a place where there is harmony, restoration and forgiveness throughout the whole of creation. That vision, he maintains is grounded in earthly matters, home, houses, land tended and harvested, fulfilment in work and in life. This magnificent passage is much more than a hymn or a dream. It is what God has in mind for all of His creation. What mars that vision is human rebelliousness, which is another word for sin.

EXTRAORDINARY LOVE OF GOD

That vision becomes more focused by the life, the death and the continuing life of Jesus of Nazareth. Through His Son God renews and reveals His vision for human kind. Calvary reveals to us the extraordinary love of God for His people and proclaims the forgiveness of sins, which in return makes possible harmony between God and man and man with man. But it is only through the Resurrection that we can see the powerful message of Good Friday. If Christ simply died on Calvary we might consider it to be merely the noble death of a good man who was an idealist.

THE RESURRECTION GIVES US CONFIDENCE TO BELIEVE

The Resurrection bathes the Cross in glorious light and makes its message abundantly clear. Because of it St. John can proclaim "God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that all who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life". These words could not have been written without the Resurrection there would be no reason to believe them. It is the Resurrection that gives us the confidence to believe.

THE SAME JESUS

The Jesus of the Resurrection is essentially the same Jesus that we read about in the rest of the New Testament. The Jesus who walked and talked with His disciples in His earthly ministry is the same Jesus who walked and talked with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus following the Resurrection. As he led those two disciples from despair to hope, from sorrow to joy and from unbelief to belief, so he continues to do for He is that very same Jesus who is with us now. As he did with those two despairing disciples so He did and does with countless others bringing dignity and meaning to their lives.

INCREASED NUMBER OF SUICIDES

Recently there was a series of articles in a leading Irish newspaper concerned with suicide in our country. They made for deeply disturbing reading. The main contributor, Joe Humphreys, pointed out "that every week on average at least eight people in this State die by suicide. Every day an estimated sixteen people attempt to take their own lives. Between 1970 and 1999 the rate of suicide increased sixfold". Those are the stark facts, which, of course, tell us nothing about the state of mind of those who take this dreadful step.

HEART WRENCHING AGONY

Nor do they tell us of the heart wrenching agony of those who are left behind, family and friends. It tells us nothing of their grief, sometimes their anger, their sense of guilt, their incomprehension with the inevitable question, "Why? Why? Why?" ringing in their minds. The fact that it is frequently unanswerable is not enough to stop them asking the questions.

NO EASY SOLUTIONS

The reasons why people, mostly young, and mostly male, take this terrible action are extremely complex, and there are no easy solutions. However, psychologist Maureen Geoffrey points to an area where the Churches should be able to help. She says, "One of the downsides in an advanced economy like ours is that people become much more disconnected from one another. People have much less time for their neighbours and family, less time for volunteering. That rise in disconnectedness coincides almost exactly with the epidemic rise in clinical depression and male suicide rates. It is not an accidental or spurious connection".

INCREASING SENSE OF ISOLATION

I am sure that she has put her finger on something very important there. Life in Ireland today is moving at such speed that many people are experiencing an increasing sense of isolation. The growth in the number of suicides highlights our increasing loss of a sense of community. That strong sense of community which was such a marked feature of Irish life in the past has been seriously weakened and in places is in danger of disappearing altogether.

WE MUST BUILD COMMUNITY SUPPORTS

It is essential that we find ways of building community supports, of being more caring of one another, of reaching out to the lonely and those who feel unloved, those in despair. We need to prioritise what is important in our lives. We need to find that time for our neighbours and family, for volunteering, for overcoming that disconnectness. If we all gave as little as one hour per week or fortnight for volunteering what a difference that would make.

A COMMUNITY THAT REFLECTS THE VISION OF THE RISEN LORD

And there is an extra challenge for Christians. Jesus depended on a community a community of believers to proclaim his message. As 21st century Christians we are their successors. Like them we must show ourselves to be a community that reflects the vision of the Risen Lord. Like them we are challenged to proclaim by word and action our belief in the death and Resurrection of Jesus.

HOPE TO THOSE IN DESPAIR

We are challenged to find ways of showing that the Christian message is relevant to, and capable of, meeting the needs of the people of our time and that it can bring hope to those in despair. We must allow Him to give meaning to our own lives so that we share with others and bring care and compassion to all who are bruised by the vicissitudes of this life. In short the challenge to us is to show ourselves to be the Easter people confidently proclaiming by our words and deeds our faith in the Risen Christ.