Diocese of the Northeast - Anglican Church in America
THE RIGHT REVEREND DR. ALEXANDER H. WEBB
BISHOP ORDINARY
Easter, 2024
My dear Brothers and sisters of the Diocese of the Northeast,
Mary Magdalene went to the tomb very early on Sunday morning, even before sunrise. She was weeping and mourning, but did not expect there to be any change at the tomb from Friday evening. The stone would be there; the guards would be there. But, arriving at the tomb, she finds that her whole world is turned upside down. There is no stone. There are no guards. There is no body. So she rushes to the leaders of the disciples and tells them that the body is gone. Peter and John run to the tomb.
The two disciples go into the tomb, and our Gospel says that John saw the empty sepulcher with the grave clothes lying there and he believed. He believed first that the tomb was empty. He also believed that there had been something miraculous that had taken place.
Later that day, the disciples found out what had happened to Jesus. They were together and Jesus appeared in their midst, saying, “Peace be with you!” Then they believed that all the promises God had made in the past had now been fulfilled. They believed that, as Christ died and rose again, all we who are in Christ will be raised with Him. They believed that it is possible for us to have a personal relationship with Him and to follow Him even today.
Jesus claims that, because of his resurrection, we are a people who are no longer enslaved by sin. We have died to our sins and have been raised to a new life, one that no longer is in slavery but rather is in the presence of God. St. Paul urges all Christians to look for God, to seek His kingdom. And when Christ appears in glory, we also will appear with him in our new Resurrected bodies!
Death is not the end, only the beginning! Although in our lives we deal with death on a regular basis, we need not fear! Jesus gives us his peace and we move forward, knowing that after any death comes a resurrection, after winter comes spring, after our life here on earth we are promised a full, glorious life with God! Happy Easter to all of you!
Your Brother and Bishop,
+ Hendy Web