Somebody asked me last month how I think of the subjects to write about in these letters. I told him that I sometimes stare at a blank page for quite a while before coming up with any inspiration. I didn’t say this to him, but I am very aware that I need to be careful not to be too political but also to address the issues that matter, ironically including political things (I’ve had complaints both for writing about politics and for not addressing “important things”). I often find myself stuck between the proverbial rock and hard place.
It doesn’t get any easier if I turn to matters of faith: as the Rector, my assumption is that people expect me to write about spiritual matters, but I also know that some readers find such things to be objectionable (depending what I might write) so even on this “home ground,” I am not given a free pass. Over the years, I have therefore sought to present a variety of subjects ranging from the trivial to the significant, from the local to the international and from the secular to the sacred. And of course – because I am the Rector and because I do think the Christian faith has something good to offer every human being – I do always try to connect the subject matter with Christianity in some way. As one reader once commented to me, “I always read your letter, wondering how and when you’re going to turn the subject to Jesus!”
Well, since I’m now about half-way down the page and have mentioned him by name, what better moment could there be to start writing about him? You may accuse me of shoehorning him into this article if you like, but anyone who has ever read my articles will have known he would be mentioned at some point, so the manner of his arrival is irrelevant! Of course, Jesus should be on all our minds this month anyway – April includes the commemoration of his betrayal, arrest, trial and execution – arguably the darkest moment of world history and the grossest miscarriage of human justice ever seen. We also celebrate his glorious resurrection from the dead which gives us hope that death is not the end. Whether we call ourselves Christians or not, Jesus is the most influential person in the history of the world, so if we’ve overlooked the fact that this month contains significant Jesus-related celebrations, I dare suggest that our education has seriously let us down. Or maybe that we or our society are trying to do what his own contemporaries tried and failed to do – to silence him.
The truth is that the fact of his execution tells us something about him that is often misunderstood by people today. Somehow, in western society we have managed to sanitise Jesus in such a way that his treatment by the authorities makes no sense. People today often describe Jesus as “a good man,” but the state didn’t crucify good men – it crucified threats. And Jesus was a threat to the world order. He is still a threat. Jesus’ perfect love for others exposes the dark self-interest in the heart of every human being. For many, that’s reason enough to push him away, to treat his significant anniversaries as if they mean nothing – to forget him in the world he has made and the culture his own teaching has shaped. It is hard to find words to describe how disrespectful this is. Yet the glory of the Christian faith is this: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” (1 Timothy 1:15) We call Good Friday “good” because through Jesus’ death on the cross, we can be reconciled to God, however much we have let him down. He offers us all a new start. Will you trust him and accept it?
May the death and resurrection of Jesus bring you new life this Easter.