City Rector offers his Easter message during troubled times

On Saturday in Hinksey Park at 12 noon and at 2.30pm there will be a community performance of a Passion Play, where once again the extraordinary events of that week in Jerusalem all those years ago will be re-enacted.

The drama over those few days lends itself to such a re-telling; as in all good plays the audience is drawn in to ponder what part we would be playing, what words we would be saying, if we were invited on to the stage. And (again as in all good plays) the underlying themes and emotions are as present as the particular incidents.

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In that week there was much joy and love, fear and sadness, disappointment and ambition, courage and hope, pride and greed. Where are we with these themes?

It can be argued that hope is an especially needed virtue in our times.

For many, life is not easy. As we look around the world, we note great violence and threat. In the film version of The Lord of the Rings there is a moment when a worried teenager, fearful of the Orcs remorselessly trampling towards the besieged fellowship, despairingly says: “They say that it is hopeless.” Aragorn responds by asking his name, telling him that he has a good sword, and above all: “There is always hope.”

And so the boy is willing to make a stand, to play his part. He has been reminded that he matters in himself (is known by name), has the necessary gifts (this is a good sword) and is assured that there is always a reason to keep going.

Without hope, we stop trying, we stop trusting, we turn inwards and can then lose hope even in ourselves. We may feel overwhelmed when we sense the storm clouds are gathering, when much is going on that we do not understand, and catastrophe seems inevitable.

Perhaps it felt like that for the family and friends of Jesus as the days went by in that electrifying week in Jerusalem. It had seemed to start well and then go quickly downhill.

The cheers from the crowds on the first Sunday were increasingly overshadowed by tense exchanges with the religious authorities (whom Jesus seemed to be explicitly provoking). These authorities were constantly looking over their shoulders, if the occupying Romans felt that things were getting out of hand then they will move in hard.

As the days went by, it was clear to these authorities what had to be done: Jesus would not be silenced and he would not leave, and so he had to die. It was a straightforward decision, except that the ordinary people liked him, and a riot needed to be avoided, especially during the great liberation festival of Passover. Let’s get him quietly, we can pay for that; 30 pieces of silver were handed over for the betrayal, and a spare cross was found.

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The Friday was indeed a moment of despair, of shattered hopes, of catastrophe, the end of a dream.

But then Sunday came. It seems that the negative voices had been too small and too wrong. This Jesus cannot be held. Life is stronger than death, love stronger than hate, forgiveness stronger than guilt, hope stronger than despair.

There is much that is wonderful in our world but there is much that is deeply sad and troubling. It can be easy to look around, or at our own difficulties, and wonder if there is still room for hope.

As an American preacher used to say, it may feel like Friday, but Sunday’s coming.

May we be strengthened to be like the teenager in the film who had the trust and courage to receive the assurance and the hope, and may we be like Aragorn, prepared to take time to offer hope to others. A very happy and hope-filled Easter, everyone.