ÐÏà¡±á>þÿ =?þÿÿÿ<ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿì¥Áq` ð¿É%bjbjqPqP ..::Éÿÿÿÿÿÿ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¸À À À À Ì ¸ï¶ì ì ì ì ì ì ì ì npppppp$¥h t”¤Vì ì VV”¤¤ì ì ©V:¤ì ¤ì nVn¤¤ì à µ‡Œ{ÇÀ Rn¿0ïâ6¤J$ì „p^ÎL<ì ì ì ””þì ì ì ïVVVV¸¸¸¼¸¸¸¼¸¸¸¤¤¤¤¤¤ÿÿÿÿWhat sort of news is Easter? (1 Cor 15.1-20, Matt.28:1-17) There was an article in The Times last month which reported an event which the editors had initially rejected as of no importance, but which in fact took on a global significance that eventually forced them to publish the news themselves. It started with an article in the Westmorland Gazette, and I'll have to read you the whole article, "An office chair was destroyed after it was set on fire on the grassy area off Maude Street, Kendal, this afternoon. Fire crews from Kendal attended along with police. A spokesman for the fire and rescue service said: 'A delinquent set fire to an office chair in the middle of a grassy area and it was extinguished using a hose.'" That's it. You might think that that was news that couldn't possibly be of interest to anyone living outside Maude St in Kendal (or, thinking about it, even those living right next to the fire) - but you'd be wrong. The report in The Times went on to quote some of the responses the Gazette received - a chap in Dubai emailed, 'This story has upset me so much I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep tonight - I work with office chairs very closely on a daily basis and they've always treated me well and to hear stories like this makes me sick to my stomach.' There were other replies from Europe and further afield, including, 'These chairs come here from foreign places and think they can take our bottoms.' The local paper received a record number of emails for the report and it touched hearts all over the world in ways no other story had ever done. News is a funny thing. In sharp contrast, the nature of the more serious news we hear today has lead to a deadening of our senses in the face of crises and disasters. We find stories every day that we can do nothing about because the event is so huge or because it's on the other side of the world and beyond our reach - train crashes, roadside bombs, and so on. We hear of death and disease with relative disinterest, or certainy with detachment, and then perk up for the weather. This morning, over one billion people around the world will celebrate one particular piece of news, "a story (Matthew says) that has been widely circulated to this very day." "For what (St Paul) received I passed on to you as of first importance (...as of first importance, headline stuff...): that Christ died for our sins, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day." But is this news we can use, news we can react to - or is the Easter story either too removed from us or just an interesting piece of trivia? If there are implications, have we become deadened to them? Actually, Easter is the best and most useful piece of news we'll hear all year. Easter means that Jesus is who he said he was ("I am the resurrection and the life."), it means that he has the power he claimed to have ("All power on earth and in heaven is given to me."), and it proves that he can be trusted with all that he has promised (Matthew records, "The angel said to the women, 'He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.'"). One day Jesus cleared the money changers and traders out of the temple because they had turned it from a place of prayer into a place of profit. The authorities asked, 'What right do you have to do this?' and he said, 'Because I'm God.' They said, 'Prove it!' - and he replied, 'I will. After you kill me, I'm going to come back three days later.' Jesus said (Jn.10:18), "Nobody takes my life from me. I have the power to lay it down and I have the power to take it up again." And just to prove him wrong, they then killed him, put him in a tomb, closed it, sealed it and posted a guard. But they were whistling in the wind - Jesus has all the power in the world. He said, 'They can't stop me. I can give my life away and I can take it up again.' This is amazing news - and if it's true, if all these things about Jesus are true, then certain other things become true for me and you. If Jesus is Lord, if he has all power and authority, and if we can trust him, then the good news is that the junk in my past can be forgotten, the hurdles that I face today can be overcome, and my worries for the future can be seen in the perspective of eternity. St Paul wrote, "There is no condemnation awaiting those who belong to Christ." Everyone of us can walk out of here this morning knowing that everything we've ever done that makes us wince or blush with shame, is forgiven and forgotten. Now my life hasn't been riddled with vice and violence, but I've still done things I'm not particularly proud of and they do get in the way. I still struggle to let everything go, but I'm 'work in progress', and I take great comfort from not having to drag it all around with me and from knowing that I can start afresh. Forgiveness is news I can use because of that baggage, but also because knowing that I'm forgiven has made me much more forgiving, which is such a help almost every day. Which brings me to the present, and the fact that Easter means I can cope better with today. We tend to think of growing to maturity as growing independent and getting your life sorted. But God thinks maturity is when we realise that we haven't figured it all out - maturity is when you realize that you can't manage - but that God can. Hundreds of people complain everyday, 'My life is out of control.' 'I feel powerless to change the situation... I feel powerless to break a bad habit... I feel powerless to get out of debt... I feel powerless to manage my time...' It might not be an instant solution, but again, St Paul is encouraging (Eph.1:20), "How incredibly great is God's power to help those who believe him, the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead." My past forgotten, my present managed, and my future secure. The New Testament says that (1 Cor.2:9), "No eye has seen , no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him." It may well be a bumpy ride, but the destination is more glorious than we can ever imagine - and there is no part of my life or yours that Easter doesn't impinge on. "What I received I passed on to you as of first importance..."We get a magazine every Friday called The Week. It's a great publication that's essentially a summary of all the news as reported in papers around Britain and abroad - and it's sub-titled, 'All you need to know about everything that matters.' It is a good magazine, but it's not that good. It was people like St Paul and St Matthew, whom we've heard from this morning, who really wrote about everything that matters. What they wrote about isn't trivial, and it's not so far removed from our situation as to be of no use - to me or to others. A final thought... One thing people can't do is to react to news they haven't heard. Some research into churchgoing and faith in Britain, published just this week, shows all the usual stuff about who goes and who doesn't, but one interesting discovery is that there are 3,000,000 people in Britain today who would go to church if someone invited them. That equates to over 50 people in this village - 50 people who are simply waiting for someone here to pass on to them what we have received and what we know to be of such importance. We do have a story worth telling - and there are people who want to hear it. It may be old news, but St Matthew still provides today's headlines, headlines that make all the difference in the world, "Do not be afraid. Jesus, who was crucified, has risen - just as he said. Go and tell." 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