Easter Greetings from Ocean Beach

It was early in the morning when the women had gone to the tomb to minister to Jesus. They were in sorrow. But when they got there, things were not as they expected them to be. The stone had been rolled away. Jesus was not there. They were told that he had risen. They were frightened. They went away. They didn’t know what to do.

Word got out.

That’s sort of where Mark originally ended the Gospel. But later contributors added a few more verses, a few more resurrection appearances. I’m grateful for that. There are days I need those extra appearances to bolster me, my belief that Jesus is risen.

But really on Easter morning we are reminded that we need nothing else than the proclamation that “He is Risen” because we see every day that that is true. Indeed, on the celebration of Easter, that message becomes clear. We look around, the joyful songs, the people in the pews next to us, and in the bread that becomes the body, we feel and see and taste the Risen Lord.

Where we really see Christ risen is when we leave the church joyously Easter morning. We go out into the streets. We go down our road to Emmaus. It is when we touch and give Christ’s love to those who need love that we see the Risen Christ.

The Lord is Risen.
The Lord is Risen indeed!

Easter blessings to you.

The Rt. Rev. James R. Mathes
Bishop