The first day of this
month, the day after Easter Sunday, is April Fool’s Day. Over
the years there have been some clever hoaxes on 1st April that have
duped many people. A classic that a lot
of people still remember was a feature on the BBC television programme Panorama
broadcast on 1st April 1957. The show’s
presenter, Richard Dimbleby, reported on a bumper spaghetti harvest in southern
Switzerland. Last year Palm Sunday fell on 1st April and Radio 4 featured an
item about donkey rustling. Listeners were
told that many churches, unable to hire donkeys, were using llamas instead for
their Palm Sunday processions.
Some people think that the
Christian Gospel is a hoax and we who believe it are fools. We claim that Jesus
Christ, who was crucified, was raised to life again. This is an amazing claim and it’s hardly
surprising if some people find it hard to believe. There have been plenty of attempts to explain
why the tomb where Jesus’ body was laid was found to be empty on the first
Easter Sunday. The Gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John describe
appearances of Jesus to many of his followers, convincing them that he was
alive. In the Easter season we read some
of those stories in church as we celebrate the resurrection. Forty days after
the resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven, returning to God the Father. The
Church celebrates Ascension Day on 9th May.
Then at Pentecost the Holy Spirit came to the disciples filling them
with power to proclaim the good news of Jesus who had overcome death and who
offers us the gift of eternal life. Pentecost (Whit Sunday) is celebrated this
year on 19th May.
Saul of Tarsus (better
known to us now at St. Paul) was one who rejected the Gospel message and who
persecuted followers of Jesus. Then one day as he was travelling to Damascus a
blinding light flashed from the sky, and he heard the voice of Jesus speaking
to him. His life was turned right around
and he became totally committed to winning others for Jesus. In the New Testament we have some of Paul’s
letters. In one of them he wrote, “The
message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us
who are being saved it is the power of God.”
That’s in the First Letter to the Corinthians Chapter 1 verse 18. Paul has more to say about foolishness and
wisdom in the verses which follow.
People have different
experiences of coming to faith in Jesus Christ, mostly in a less dramatic way
than Paul. Many people are convinced of
the truth of the Gospel message, foolish though it may seem in the eyes of the
world. There is evidence for the truth of the message in the difference Jesus
still makes in people’s lives today. We
cannot prove that the Gospel message is true, but neither can anyone prove that
it is false. It is a matter of faith and of accepting that what may look
foolish in some people’s eyes is, in fact, true wisdom.
With my love and prayers
Glynis Hetherington
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