No normal Easter

Writer: John de Gruchy.

We won’t forget this Easter in a hurry. No crowded church services, no singing of triumphant hymns, few family gatherings, and no one searching for Easter eggs.

The restaurants are empty, the coastal path closed, tourists absent, only police patrolling the streets, medics tending the sick, scientists searching for cures, shop assistants selling essentials, and politicians making decisions they do not want to make. How can we celebrate when everything we normally do at Easter is forbidden by law and presidential decree?

But maybe this Easter is more like the first Easter than we think. There was nothing normal about that first day of the week when a few anxious women in Jesus’ inner circle went to the tomb to anoint his body with oil. Jerusalem, despite being crowded for the Passover, was in virtual lockdown following the crucifixion of three rebels for sedition. There were Roman soldiers everywhere, even guarding the tomb. But the women found the stone rolled away and the tomb empty.

Click below to read more. (The full article can be found on page 5)