Jack Marshall, rector   Christ Church, Lockport

The message of Easter is wonderfully varied. Each Christian of every denomination and those who are not aligned with any church can glean the renewal of Easter. The man, Jesus of Nazareth, defeated and destroyed in death finds his life renewed and restored as

On Maundy (Holy) Thursday we find Jesus in the upper room with his disciples sharing the Passover Haggadah (meal). He is recalling the great wonders that the Lord God has done for Moses and the people when he brought them out of Egypt and put an end to their slavery. Don't be fooled! This is not a "Christmas like" memorial when we remember that Jesus was born some 2000 years ago. The Hebrew concept of remembering is to "make real in the here-and-now" that which has already happened. When the youngest at the table asks, "Why is this night different from any other night?" and starts the observance. The father's response is that on this night God worked his wonders. The point is that we are back on the shores of the Red Sea with no way out , and the Lord fights on our behalf leading us dry shod through the midst of the sea and flooding Pharaoh's army to allow our escape.

We begin is a very uncomfortable place. Jesus is arrested; it is the beginning of the end. We all know so well how life has a way of crushing us. Gas prices are on the rise; a recession is on the horizon. Living in Western New York is not a picnic with plants, other businesses and churches closing. It's hard to stay, and some will leave. Those who do stay need to be resourceful and bright about themselves and their marriages and relationships. It may be a time when everything suffers.

Good Friday dawns with the "stale cold morning" of Cats. Jesus is interrogated, beaten and judged. Ever felt like that? Not part of the social elite are you? The Brits have that wonderful saying "NQOCD" (Not quite our class, dear). We try to help the homeless and feed the poor. We watch the war scenes on the evening news and know others have it much worse, but that's small consolation. My problems are real to me here and now, not on the small screen. And so, like Eleanor Roosevelt, I try to understand that "Nobody can make me feel inferior without my consent."

Jesus holds on to the wood of the cross that kills him. What's going to happen is going to happen. He gives up his spirit. He bows his head. He accepts inevitable defeat and with a loud cry (of frustration) he dies.

Then it's Easter! The God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses, the God of the Passover fights for him. Death, the final enemy, is defeated and Jesus, the Christ, lives. When there's no way out, suddenly God finds a way. When everything that could be done was done and still we didn't make it, that's the time of God's wonders. When our back is to the sea and the enemy is nose to nose with us, that is the time of salvation. It's not a pious tale or fairy story, it's a way of life, eternal life.

The Pascal Mysteries (Holy Thursday to Easter and all the events that filled those days) aren't easy. If they have a meaning in our everyday life it will be because we can see a little bit of ourselves somewhere in the events. If they have a meaning beyond the self-centered "me", it will come to rest on the mercy of God for all. Jesus carried that cross and lived a life that invited you and me to take part even while we were sinning. Whatever causes us to do the wrong thing, to sin or to hurt others, does not have the last say. The grace and peace of God, the love of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit have the last say.