St. Matthews Anglican Church - Riverview, Florida
St Matthews Newsletter - April 2004
And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him. But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you. (St. Mark 16:6-7 KJV) One unexpected gift we were given this Lenten season was Mel Gibson's film The Passion. The film, while not suited for young children or those weak of heart, was a bitter sweet experience that every Christian should have every Lenten season. I would advise caution on taking children too young to understand the situation or events involved but would almost want to make it a mandatory viewing for those wishing to be confirmed. We Christians tend to take all too lightly what Christ did for us in His incarnation, crucifixion and resurrection. The film followed the scriptures pretty well and where it added things I found the conjecture to be reasonable and/or non offensive. It was very graphic but the "violence" and the gore are appropriate to the subject if you understand how a person was scourged and crucified. It really makes you appreciate all our Lord did for us on the cross and in His resurrection. If one wants to nit pick there elements to do so such as whether Christ carried a cross beam or a completed cross and whether the nails should go in the hands or in the wrist. Overall I thought it an excellent Lenten movie which reminded me of how much I owe Christ for all He did for me and how much the grace of God cost God Himself. I know that many of the images in the film will be on my mind as I go through the various services of Holy Week this year. I am glad the film included the resurrection no matter how briefly because it gives us the hope of a life after death and of being able to spend an eternity with God our Creator in peace. One of my favorite scriptures is the one quoted above. One can only imagine how St. Peter felt after denying Christ three times after swearing earlier that "Although all shall be offended, yet will not I." The message of the angel at the empty tomb was one of hope not only to those who had proven them selves faithful to the end but also to those who had failed and needed to know that their repentance would be met with forgiveness no matter how great the failure. Because of the grace of God, St. Peter not only recovered from his failure but became a mighty force in the spreading of the gospel to both the Jews and to Gentiles alike. As we go thru holy week and walk thru the Easter season let us do so remembering all that our Lord did for us in His passion and resurrection. Let us humbly give Him the glory, praise, honor and thanks He deserves for all He did and continues to do for us out of His immeasurable love and grace. In Christ's Service, Father Bill
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