At Easter, our faith in the God revealed in Jesus Christ means we have to be prepared and willing to take a risk. Making a fresh start is never easy. Yesterday, I was waist deep in a pool outside the Minster baptising people who decided to follow Jesus who died and rose from the dead. There was a huge crowd and a fantastic welcome as these brave souls took the step of being baptised, and starting a new life with God. Don’t underestimate the bravery of souls who choose to make this very public statement of their living faith today.
But we are blessed to live in the light of the events after Easter Day. We know the transformation that takes place, of the changes that are possible. Think of the Easter garden. It is a garden which is restored and transformed by the presence of Jesus of Nazareth. On Easter Day Mary Magdalene learnt so much about how sorrow was turned into joy, poverty of spirit into generosity, fear into hope and despair into trust. The physicality of the Resurrection of Christ means that things material matter to God. Bodies matter. The physical world matters.