Today even though we continue to walk the painful journey toward the Cross for many of us the promise of Easter is also in the air. Earlier in the week one of the daily readings contained the phrase “prisoners of hope” and that is what we are. In some ways we are caught in the despair of Jesus betrayal and crucifixion, in others we are looking forward to the eternal hope that will break into our world afresh on Easter morning. We are indeed prisoners of hope held captive by the love of a God who was willing to suffer and die to bring us into freedom.
This morning I also got news that the mother of a good friend of ours died in the night. In the midst of grief we need the assurance of God’s hope to sustain us.
For that reason my thoughts this morning have focused on that hoped for Easter Sunday and the longed for coming Easter Sunday when God’s eternal world that we glimpse so dimly at the moment will break into our world in all its fullness. Today’s prayer expresses that hope and longing of Easter. It is an adaptation of one I wrote for the Advent season last year.
Hold your head high, Christ has risen
Rejoice and shout
Christ has come calling us home
Home to the heart of God
Home to God’s living presence
Home to God’s banquet feast
Hold your head high, Christ has risen
Death has been conquered
Christ has come calling us home
He has renewed and restored us
All that was broken has been made whole
All that was dislocated has been set right
Hold your head high, Christ has risen
Carry forward God’s healing
Christ has come calling us home
To a world where truth and justice triumph
To a place where abundance flourishes
To a community where generosity flourishes
Hold your head high, Christ has risen
Christ has come calling us home
Your redemption is complete
God’s eternal world has begun
Love reigns over all
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Christ has risen indeed.