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Viewpoint from Rev Leda Schofield 03/04/2015
Rev Leda Schofield
Pastor, Park Baptist Church
 Easter Sunday
I lead a congregation of Portuguese-speaking Christians, who form part of Park Baptist Church. We meet on Saturday evenings for practical reasons – the church is already used on Sundays by the English congregation. Normally, meeting on a Saturday rather than a Sunday is not an issue, however as Easter approaches, I become more and more aware that we cannot celebrate Easter on any other day but Sunday. Easter happened on Sunday, and we cannot get away from this fact
Thankfully this year we will be meeting on Sunday, holding a bilingual service bringing together the Portuguese and English congregations, to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection
As we prepare our hearts this year to celebrate the central point of our faith, I’m reminded of what the young man in white said to the women, when they went to the tomb and couldn’t find Jesus: “He has gone ahead of you...” Mark 16:7
 It is good to be reminded that Jesus has gone ahead of us to prepare the way, even through death
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On that first Easter Sunday, God went ahead of the women and rolled away the stone
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On that first Easter Sunday, Jesus went ahead of the disciples, to meet them in Galilee
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On that first Easter Sunday afternoon, Jesus went ahead of His two disciples, on the road to Emmaus, and met with them as they grieved for His death
For us who believe in the resurrection it means at least two things:
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firstly, it assures us that Jesus has gone ahead of us, and therefore, we can have hope that one day we will be with Him. Jesus said: “...I am going there to prepare a place for you” John 14:2
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secondly, it comforts us when we ourselves grieve for the loss of our family members or a dear friend, for it reminds us that Jesus has gone ahead of them
These were Jesus’ words: “Those who believe in me, though they are dead, yet shall they live”
Death could not deter Jesus in the tomb. He conquered death so that we may live too. He is alive today! Whatever we have to face in this life, let us remember that Jesus has gone ahead of us. Happy Easter!
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