John 20:1-18; Colossians 3:1-4

Photo by Bruno van der Kraan on Unsplash

Our Easter reading today comes from two different places: John chapter 20 and Colossians chapter 3. This morning, we are going to focus on the passage from Colossians.

I’ll be leading you through something of a Bible study today. While the ideas might seem a bit complex at first, they are worth exploring— because they lead us directly to the most important message Paul shared with the early churches in the first and second centuries.

To start, I’d like to draw your attention to verse 1 of today’s reading in Colossians. Paul uses a very interesting and unique Greek word here. He writes, ‘You have been raised to life with Christ.’

In English, we call this the ‘present perfect’ tense, but in Greek It carries a special meaning. It is an aorist tense and suggests something that has already happened, but is not yet finished. It is like saying, ‘You have already been raised, but not yet.’ Some call this the ‘Already-But-Not-Yet’ Resurrection.

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Psalm 95 Mighty God of creation
John 4:5-42 Woman at the well

We’ve had a lot of hot days this summer! We are all told to ‘Stay hydrated’. Drink more water. It matters to have enough water. We carry around our water bottles. We appreciate a shower and keep chilled water in the fridge. Water is necessary for life.

About fifteen years ago, my husband Ron and I had the opportunity to visit South India. We were the guests of Church of South India and were there to visit some of the projects that Uniting Church in Australia was supporting through Uniting World. It was similar to the project for East Timor that we just saw on the video. In South India, we saw projects linked to Education, small business, recovery after the 2003 tsunami and other projects. One of many projects was for wells to provide water to some villages in the area south of Vellore in the south east. The wells needed to be very deep, but at last they now had a tap in their own village. So much joy.

A tap and water, right in their own village. By the time we reached the last village it was already dark. Very few houses had electric light so the headlights of our vehicle were left on so we could see enough for the ceremony of turning on their tap.

As an older white woman, I was a very rare and exotic visitor. Through an interpreter, they told me what access to clean water would mean for them. In good seasons, it was only a walk of a couple of kilometers to carry their water pots to fill from irrigation channels. But in the dry season, they had to walk much further. There were times when wealthy landowners refused to let them walk across their land, so their daily trip to carry their water pot on their heads was even longer. Even then, the water was often polluted. To have a tap, with clean water, in their own village was a miracle for future health. We have just watched the video about Timor-Leste. They too have to struggle to get clean water for their daily needs. We have taps in our own houses. Let’s not take this gift for granted.

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John 3:1-17, Revelation 7:13-17

We often smile at Nicodemus. When Jesus says, “You must be born again,” Nicodemus immediately thinks of biology and asks: “How can a grown man crawl back into his mother’s womb?” It sounds like a silly question, doesn’t it?

But before we judge Nicodemus, we should realize that many of us fall into the same trap. In some traditions and churches, there is a lot of pressure to point to the exact moment you were born again or saved. The idea is that if you can’t name the specific date or time, you aren’t seen as a ‘proper’ or committed believer. Like Nicodemus, many of us today try to turn the deep, spiritual mystery into a simple, mechanical formula. Why? Because we often desire physical, visible, or even ‘scientific’ proof for our salvation moments. But the mysteries of God sit far beyond human logic. They are not math problems to be solved; they are meant to be experienced through the ministry of the Spirit in our daily lives.

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Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7.   Matthew 4:1-4, 8-11 

The story of the Garden of Eden in today’s reading from Genesis 2 is by no means an easy passage. It carries some complicated theological implications and presents us with several dilemmas. However, I would like us to look at this story through the lens of our Gospel reading in Matthew 4, ‘Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness’.

Genesis account begins with God placing humans in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and guard it with a clear instruction: “You may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden, except the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad. You must not eat the fruit of that tree; if you do, you will die the same day.”

While every tree in the garden was theirs to enjoy, one remained off-limits: the tree in the middle.  Here, we see that God placed humanity in a sanctuary of abundance and gave one protective boundary.

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Matthew 17: 1-9

Our Scripture reading today was the amazing story of the Transfiguration of Jesus. As we just heard, Jesus went up a high mountain with three of his followers, Peter, James and John.

Today, let’s hear this story from the perspective of Peter. This was an important moment in his journey with Jesus but it wasn’t the only one. Peter had already been travelling with Jesus for several years. In Matthew chapter 16, the chapter immediately before this story, we read that Jesus asked his followers, ‘Who do you say that I am?’ and Peter answered ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.’ That was a very important moment for Peter. He was moving from following a man from Nazareth, a place not so far from his own home, to declaring that this was indeed God’s own Son.

Not long after this, Jesus began to tell his followers that he must go to Jerusalem, where he would be abused, and killed and would rise from death. Peter was very distressed to hear this and said, ‘”NO! This can’t happen!’ Jesus told him, ‘You don’t understand the things of God.’ Another very important moment with Jesus.

Within days of these important conversations, in Matthew 17, we read, ‘After six days, Jesus took Peter, James and John and led them up a high mountain.’ They were alone. Suddenly Jesus changed and became dazzling with light.

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