Easter Address 2008 Zarovian

[ZAROVE]

Now upon us is Easter, when we remember the Resurrection of the Lord, and
the trials he had endured.

A man lived a perfect and sinless life, upright and who obeyed God, and
who taught with authority the way of God. Yet, he was reviled nd despised
by many, especially those in power who feared he would overturn their
authority.

They then conspired to see to it that the Ministry of Jesus of Nazareth
was ended, and sought his life by mean of accusing him of Blasphemy, thus
consigning him to a most accursed death. This, they hoped, would end not
only his ministry, but his influence.

Thus, in the dead of night, they came to where he prayed, and, knowing
where to find him due to a betrayer amongst his closest followers and
friends, they came for him, and took him.

Jesus, our Lord and our Saviour, was taken to trial, and accused falsely.
A man who stood innocent was found guilty, and placed before a reluctant
Roman Governor, who offered a man whom he found no fault or a Murderer
named Bar-Abbas to be released, and they chose the Murderer over Jesus of
Nazareth.


After this, Pilate washed his hands of the affair, but turned over Jesus
to them, and they gave him to the Roman guards who mocked him, beat him
savagely, and tortured him. Upon his head was placed a crown of thorns,
and he was given a purple robe and a reed as they knelt and mocked his
status as “King of he Jews”.


They, at the appointed time, he was taken to the Cross, and nailed upon
it. A more accursed Death there was none, and the manner of Death to
those of this time indicated he amount of a mans life. To hang from a
tree was to be accursed in the law of Moses, and to be so displayed as a
sceptical while death occurred, in agonising pain and slowly, was to be
shown to be a weak, defeated creature.


There, between two thieves, hung Jesus. There, in the most humiliating
way, and defeated. All his friends save John, and Mary of Magdala, and
his Mother, had abandoned him, and he was displayed to be mocked before
all. Broken, humiliated, ruined, defeated. There was no hope.


He hung for hours, but not as long as is normal. Blood loss form the
beating and fasting had secured a quick death, and he expired, there
alone on the Cross.


He was taken town, by kind permission which was granted by Pontius
Pilate, and taken to a borrowed tomb, of Joseph of Arimathaea, and he was
buried in the tomb, dead, and lost.


Low in the grave did the Saviour sit, in Darkness and in the tomb,
engulfed by the Darkness of Death and sin, separated from the light of
all Eternity, God, his Eternal Father.


He had endured the worst of what humanity could offer, and had become the
weakest and most despised thing in all creation, and the most loathsome.
A defeated and broken being, now cast into darkness, forsaken and lost.
But, Gods strength is made perfect in weakness, and in this most stunning
defeat of light and truth at the hands of the most evil ways of man arose
a victory that was won not despite defeat but because of it.


It was jealously, fear, and a need to control that had brought the events
of Jesus’ Death, and pride, a pride that couldn’t abide meekness and
Humility, nor the lessons taught this peasant form Galilee.


It was the greatest of evil, and the ugliness and pettiness of humanity
came fourth, but because it struck, and had unleashed its fury upon this
one innocent man, because all the evil was done that could be done unto a
man, can we now find victory over evil.


Even upon the Cross, beaten and dying, Jesus said “Forgive them, Father,
they know not what they do”, and even in the grave could we see that
light of love and hope grow.


And, because man had done its worst, it was now out in the open, and
obvious to all. Now regret, sorrow, and lamentation began.


But sorrow was not to last, and never does last. Upon that great and
first Easter Sunday, we saw the Lamb which had been slain return alive,
and thus conquer Death, offering to us the hope of Eternal life.


Along with death, he defeated pain, and fear, and humiliation. He
defeated pride, and jealousy, and envy. He defeated malice and hatred,
and a need for control.


For Jesus, being God, had surrendered his life and control to others,
allowing them to do what they would with him, even to slay him, and they
who took control did precisely this. But their control trapped them in
greater darkness and evil, and that was made manifest even to them, and
upon the aftermath, how bravely the death was met, even in the most
Humiliating of ways, we see the meekness and humility defeating the pride
and desire for power.


We see greater strength in the man crucified than in they Crucifying.
We also see a man, once dead, alive again after three days.


He rose, and came to us to show us that even Death can be conquered, and
that the evil cannot overtake the good.


In this name do we believe and aspire, and this is the meaning of our
Passover, which is What Easter originated from.


Let us remember the Resurrection of Christ and what it means, and live in
accordance to the liberty form sin e are given by the light of Jesus and
his example. At this I close, Amen.

[Metacrock]

thanks Zor

[Wyrdsmyth]

Happy Easter to all my Christian Friends.

[KR Wordgazer]

Thank you, Wyrdsmythe, and thanks for the beautiful thoughts, Zarove.

I don't know the author of this song we sang in church today, but the words are inspiring:

"Like a rose
Trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all."

(Title: "Above All.")

[Theognosis]

Since I reject Anselm's satisfaction theory, I would take out the following phrases:

...and had become the
weakest and most despised thing in all creation, and the most loathsome.
A defeated and broken being, now cast into darkness, forsaken and lost.

For the rest, thanks, Zarove.

[ZAROVE]

I'm not exaclty one with Anslem either, THeo, and think you may be reading into my text somethign that was unintended.

[tinythinker]

Speaking of perspectives on Easter, I thought this one was very compelling...

In Jesus, Mary [Magdalene] found someone who accepted her, who loved her. And in so doing, Jesus had pointed beyond himself to the love of God. The knowledge that she was loved, that she was lovable, was most likely an important part of Mary’s healing.

"Do you love me?" In the end, isn’t that the unvoiced question in each of us? "Do you love me?" If we are honest, isn’t our deepest longing to have that question answered with a resounding “Yes!” That’s what we all really want…and often that search for love is what drives our life decisions...

And so Mary weeps. Love has died. Most likely many of us have experienced a similar kind of grief when one we love has died. Mary’s heartbreak is somewhat unique, however; she knows that Jesus' death did not have to happen. It was not a death from natural causes. It was a death caused by angry and frightened people...

Just when all hope had left her, Jesus appears to Mary. Beyond all rational expectations, he came back! Not even death and the grave could keep Jesus’ love from Mary.

This is the power of the resurrection...

-excerpt from Alleluia! Christ is Risen!, originally published at Father Jake Stops the World, The musings of an eccentric and sometimes heretical Episcopal priest, on Sunday, March 23rd, 2008.

Although these excerpts give a feel for what is being said, the personal story Fr. Jake weaves into the essay from this own life makes the view of Christ and Easter he is presenting much more affective (and subsequently effective).

[Theognosis]

I'm not exaclty one with Anslem either, THeo, and think you may be reading into my text somethign that was unintended.

I may have had. Reading that part reminded me of this:



http://www.traditionaliconography.com/w ... ryart.html
Now, Grunewald's Crucifixion, represents only a corpse nailed on a cross, a vile and grotesque monstrosity. The body and its parts are swollen, and bloated, decomposing and dripping puss. The hands and feet are twisted, there is agony. The feet, twice their normal size, and misshapen. His whole body is repugnant and a terror to observe. Or as Photios Kontoglou, better puts it:

"The whole body is one repulsive pile of flesh in final decomposition, on which appear clotted blood and puss ready to burst the dried skin and gush forth. The crown of thorns, with its long and hard spines, encircles the misshapen head, contributing to the grisly effect. But even the cross is not made, as usual, from two beams; it, too, is analogous to the gruesome specter which it holds. It is made up of the unhewn branches of some wild tree, gnarled in anguish, just like the members of the corpse it bears..."

In the presentation of the Crucifix depicted by Grunewald he reveals to the on-looker that the death of Christ imitates ordinary human death. In this painting, there is no edification, no peace, no contrition, no hope, only despair. Representing the total opposite for that which God became man. It is painted with fear and consternation, with no sign of the presents of God. A forsaken son painted in an image of suffering and abandonment. Not only is it not a devotional painting but a satanic one, extinguishing all emphasis of hope from the Christian soul, which is precisely a contradiction of the message of the Cross.Grunewald depicts Christ in this way, because this was his faith, his hopelessness.

Instead of this...



In the devotional icon, everything is elevated from the world in its depiction. The figure itself, the grass, the rocks, buildings, trees, etc. Nothing in an icon is shown in a corruptible state, but in a supramundane manner. Christ, in His icon of the Crucifixion is shown standing on the cross. One can not tell if the cross is holding Him up or if He is holding up the Cross. Any afflictions that had befallen Him are expressed in the icon as gentleness and forgiveness towards those who inflicted harm upon His body. His face is tranquil, humble, a saddening joy, a sample of the nature we will have once we have gained our salvation.

Photios Kontoglou: "The crucified body is not just anyone, but is the very Body of the God-Man Himself; therefore it is not a corpse, but rather incorruptible unto eternity, and the source of life. It radiates the hope of resurrection. The Lord does not hang on the Cross like some miserable tatter, but it is He, rather, who appears to be supporting the Cross. His hands are not cramped, being nailed to the Wood, rather, He spreads them out serenely in supplication, according to the Troparion which says "Thou hast spread thy palms, and united what before had been divided, that is, God and man."

[ZAROVE]

Well, on this board I have written my own thelogy of the Attonement, which doens't even use the Substitutionary Death ont he Cross.

Rather, I look back at the Judaic concept of Sacrifice, which is not abotu giving somethign up as much as ourification. The Lamb that is slain takes on the sins of the guilty, and the blood of he lamb then covers the transgression, renderign the people then covered of their sins.

Jesus was of cour eour Pascal lamb, and his blood doens't merley cover btu removeds our sins.


Nevertheless, the sins of the world are blamed upon the Sacrifice, transfered to it, as it where.

The Psycological componant I use in this then rests on God becomign man, and takign the abuse man has to offer. Humanity is angry wiht God and at varience with him, and for centuries this has been reciprocated by God. Man and God fight, and argue, and contend one wiht another, and there is no rest.

Jesus represents then when God stopped arguing, and let Humanity take out its anger and resentment upon him.

All the anger, all the bitterness, all the frustration, all taken out on a Silent JEsus who simly takes the abuse.

It also shwos Mans inhumanity to his fellows.

Jeus took it all, so we project oto him while scourging him, and while cirsign him, and beatign huim, all that makes us angry at God, and all that makes us angry at each other. When we nail him tot he Cross, we se ein him the livign embodiment of what we most loathe and dispise. God who we are at varience with hangs before us, and we now cna kill him. Away with the mrolaity, consequences of our sins, and justice. We want liberty. We are angry. We think life isnt fair, we think it is unjust, we want more!

We see in Jeuss all that is wrogn ith the world, and blame him with it,nd our abuse on him is our release.

And he sat there. He took it.

Thus, he became to us the most wretched of things, the lowest criminal, the most dispicable and evil of things. We treated him accoridngly, and with his death our hatred, our fear, our itterness, and our anger died.

And we where sorrowful, for he wasn't what we saw.

In our midns we sw all that was wrogn int he world embodied by him, ut in truth it was our illusion, and he was an innocent man who stood for those thigns for our sakes, allowign himself to be seen in thatw ay, and abused for that end.

His Death, then, also shows how our blidnness and hatred causes us to lash out at others nt deservignly and the end result of our blidn rage is merely destruction.

This is how he became to us all loathesome htings in oen form.


The ressurection, of course, represent shis return to lie in triumph, and the transformaiton of our Emnity from bitterness and hatred to now open reconciliaiton, and hope replaces dispare.


THis is what I meant.

[ZAROVE]

That said, we should focus on the real meanign of Easter.

That He Is Risen!