Proclaimer Blog
Something missing?
Mrs R and I had a hot date last weekend going to see Bach's St Matthew's Passion at the National Theatre. Wonderful stuff if you like that sort of thing. And many of the words (it was an English translation) taken straight from the gospel account, of course. Edifying too, then. But it all ended rather sadly.
The Passion (perhaps the clue was in the name) ends with the death of Jesus and the carrrying away of the body by Joseph of Arimathea. Then some of the narrating cast sing a series of questions to answer which, loosely translated, mean "Where is my Jesus?"
For those who know the gospel accounts, it is entirely unsatisfactory. The normally reserved Mrs R told me later that she was tempted to stand up and shout "He's alive!" though I'm rather glad she didn't! But she would have been right. We need the cross and the resurrection, otherwise the death of Jesus is just another hero story and not the story of the salvation of the world.
"He was delivered over to death for our sins and raised to life for our justification" (Romans 4.25). Don't let your preaching, therefore, be just like the Passion. Tell the full story.