As part of our Eastertide service on 24th April 2021 we put together this 3 minute reflection which takes words from a Lavinia Byrne piece and pairs them with beautiful inspiring artwork by Elizabeth Wang (Radiant Light).
TIP: Watch on full screen (or on Youtube) for best effect.
Here is the full text of the Lavinia Byrne piece for your perusal:
‘Resurrection Love – look at my hands and my feet’ by Lavinia Byrne
Taken from ‘Just One Year, Prayer and Worship through the Christian Year’ edited by Timothy Radcliffe.
On Easter Sunday, Jesus offers us the gift of presence and the gift of peace.
We are to know him in the breaking of the bread. Jesus does not want to be insubstantial; he does not want to be a ghost.
Instead, he comes to us and invites us to touch him. He offers himself to us in ways that are intended to nourish and nurture us. He promises companionship.
So where are we to touch him in today’s world? Where are we to walk with him. Where are we to find his hands and feet? Where are we to offer him a piece of broiled fish and eat and drink in his presence?
Christianity is an embodied religion. It does not live in the pages of a book. Rather it invites us to engage with our world.
So are we to recognise the presence of Jesus whenever there are wounded hands and feet that turn to us for healing and wherever there is a road that we can walk down in his company?
The gift lies in recognising him when he presents himself in unexpected ways. We need to believe that we can touch him in our everyday lives. We need to understand that we can walk with him.
Our task is to seek out people who are needy and to turn our faces towards them rather than away from them. This is not difficult to do, for there are many wounded hands and feet that clamour for our attention. There are many hungry people who would love a bowl of fish, let alone a loaf of bread.
If Jesus is risen from the dead, then we need proof and we need evidence. How can we secure this in today’s world?
The Gospel seems to suggest that the way forward is to open our hearts in love. No one is to be excluded, no situation is beyond the reach of grace. By believing this and putting it into practice, we can become witnesses and carry the echo of his saving mission forwards into our world.
Christian faith is not a personal possession. It is always for sharing. So everything comes full circle. We can be his witnesses.
We can provide the evidence that he is risen.