May: Thoughts from Huw

Dear Friends,
The ancient story is told of a rabbi who gathered all his students together very early in the morning while it is still dark. He told them to pay attention because he had an important question to ask them. The question was this; how could they tell when night had ended and the day was on its way back. One student answered `Could it be when you look at a tree in the distance and can tell whether it is a fig tree or a peach tree?` 
`No` answered the rabbi.
Another student answered `Could it be when you see an animal and can tell whether it is a sheep or a dog?`
`No` answered the rabbi.
After a few more guesses the students demanded `well then, what is it?`
The rabbi said `It is when you look on the face of any woman or man and see that she is your sister and he is your brother. Because if you cannot do this then no matter what time it is, it is still night.`
In John`s Gospel, the Easter story begins very early in the morning of the first day of the week when it is `still dark`. But the Easter story has its finest expression in the new life of Christ, when, as John tells us,

The night is over
And the real light is already shining.
Anyone who claims to be in the light
But hates his brother
is still in the darkness. (1 John 2: v8-9)

In this Easter season we celebrate an invitation out of darkness into the light of the risen Christ. In that light we see him and recognise each other as brother and sister.

With Good Wishes
Huw