Easter Day

Death! It was not possible that He should be holden of it. Acts 2.24

Last year on holiday called at Bucklers Hard – little village on the river Beauleu – Men of war – built there – famous admiral born there – used to gather acorns -
HE HAD NO VISION OF IRON SHIPS – Iron wouldn’t float – now seas are thronged with iron vessels going safely on their way - In the same way the skies are full of aeroplanes – though everyone knows that objects heavier than the air – FALL TO THE GROUND.
There are lots of things happening to-day that were said to be impossible even in my boyhood days. Yet, I suppose “THE IMPOSSIBLE” remains – you can’t mathematically square a circle – make a rope out of sand (or can you?) And dead men somebody says “DON’T RISE FROM THE TOMB.”

But in this first christian sermon preached only six weeks after Christ’s Crucifixion to people who have seen it or at least knew all that had happened, Peter claims that it would be absurb, irrational to suggest that Jesus did not rise from the dead. It was just impossible that death should keep Him in it’s grip.
It was not that Peter had any doubts about the power of death – HE’D SEEN IT ROB CHRIST OF HIS LIFE AND VITALITY. And he’d watched an unusually horrible death.
“But God had raised Him to life again setting Him free from the pangs of death because it was not possible that death should keep Him in it’s grip”

Impossible – for such a person as Jesus could not stay in the grips of death.

Do you remember the story of King Canute?
His courtiers flattered him by saying that he was so great that even the incoming tide would stop at his command – and not even wet his feet -
THEY MUST HAVE BEEN MAD – But says St Peter, it was just as mad to try and keep Jesus in the TOMB -
He was raised to LIFE and you could no more have stopped it than you could have stopped the SUN FROM RISING – HE ROSE FROM THAT TOMB BECAUSE HE WAS THE LIFE – NOT THE RESURRECTION COS HE ROSE – ROSE COS HE WAS.
Surely? What Peter means is that Jesus was a person of such flawless MORAL AND SPIRITUAL CHARACTER – SUCH ABSOLUTE GOODNESS AND PERFECTION OF SPIRIT that nothing could destroy HIS LIFE
- Impossible – because such a life was deathless
Death might destroy some mens lives but not Hid – THAT WAS THE FACT ABOUT WHICH HE WAS CONCERNED.

It was the TRIUMPH OF THE CROSS -
Look at it this way. Evil is like death. It’s essential character is to destroy, corrupt AND CORRODE LIKE RUST – UNTIL GOODNESS is annihilated  -
We’ve seen selfishness do that to a lovely friendship – the rust – rot sets in -
THE CHARACTER OF CHRIST WAS RUST-PROOF – it remained untarnished – it just could not be destroyed, EVEN ON THE CROSS HIS GOODNESS HELD FIRM -
Don’t you agree with ST Peter, the belief that Jesus rose from the dead isn’t crazy, irrational, it fits into all we want to believe about GOOD & EVIL

Good ought to triumph – deep inside us we want it to triumph -
We know Peter was right – THE RESURRECTION of CHRIST was the vindication of all that we had lived for – IT WAS THE TRIUMPH OF GOOD and Hid goodness over sin.

OH YES! But what difference has it all made. Look to all the misery and evil  in our generation. Naked terrorism to gain power over others.
We shall never understand it until we allow Christ’s spirit to triumph in us “Christ liveth in me”
Remember the story that Jesus told -
“This my son has come back to life again”


Beauty they thought was dead, was dead that day,
They sealed the mater in his new wrought tomb
and wondered all along the dusty way
white lillies of delight were all in bloom
Dear Christ, so long ago, so long ago
and men have dreamed again that gladness dies
chanted her requiem and laid her low
and turned to meet the smiling of her eyes.


I could not find him where the vestured priest
Intoned the ancient ritual of prayer.
My neighbour bowed the knee,
and yet to me
He was not there.

I could not find him where the bugles called
And men cried “Hallelujah” to the sky,
My neighbour sobbed His name -
To her He came
But passed me by.

Yes on a busy day when spring winds blow
My billowing line to the bleaching sun
That Man who served with wood
So clearly stood,
Smiling “Well done.”

(Doris M. Holden)

Christ cannot be found everywhere until we find Him somewhere


Notes indicate this was used from 1971 onwards