This is a personal reflection written by Rona, part of our church family.
The account of the disciples’ reaction to the resurrection of Jesus is what affirmed to me that the Bible must be true. He must have lived, died and resurrected.
Matthew 28:20 v 17
When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted.Mark 16:1, v 11
When they (disciples) heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.Luke 24:23 v 36 – 37, 52
While they were still talking about this (Jesus appearing to someone) Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, ‘peace be with you’. They were startled and frightened thinking they saw a ghost.
Then they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.
It’s my favourite part of the bible, one that fills me with joy. I laughed out loud when I read it for the first time, I related to the disciples, as their disbelieving response sealed my belief.
That’s where the resurrection is today and all days, in the almost unbelievable, joyful experiences that follow from absolute honesty of the human spirit with God.
Here’s my honest easter account and joy.
At the start of the impacts of the virus in Scotland, about 6 or 7 weeks ago, I had just returned from holiday and things were starting to change. I watched the news, heard from family in Italy, listened to the encounters of my sister – a pilot flying into countries now dangerous. I started to realise I couldn’t see my family as I’d felt a bit of a cold, which then worsened over time, and as the weeks passed all freedoms I knew were taken. I started to witness meetings in work full of people under unbelievable decision making pressure. So much to do. So much to serve and protect in peoples lives. I was angry. I was afraid, in fact, I was terrified. And I was not talking to God. It’s fair to say I was definitely in a huff with God.
I sat down one weekend lost in everything and I reconciled with God. I said exactly how I felt, I opened my heart – and I restarted the honest foundation of my relationship with Jesus. God lifted me from that moment and put me exactly where I needed to be. The next day in work out of the blue I was given the responsibility to lead a significant project to help people. Its kept me purposeful and happy. There’s so much more I could say about that, how I feel it’s shaping me into who God wants me to be.
And I laugh now as I remember one day on that holiday I was looking out of the window of a taxi and I was wondering who I should spend my upcoming 40th birthday with when I started to see something appear in the sky. White fuel clouds from an aeroplane. They were spelling something. In the 20-minute taxi journey, I saw the white fuel clouds shape the unmistakeable sentence against the blue sky backdrop. U + God = smiley face!
That image has become the foundation of my time in isolation. It’s prompted me and encouraged me. Me plus God equals happy. Who knew? How could I forget?
