Description
Sitting under the stars in remote communities is a privilege. We can see the beauty of the cosmos, the wonder of the stars. In Miliŋimbi, an island off the coast of North-East Arnhem Land, there is little light pollution. We can look up and see the moon in all its phases, the stars as they go across the sky and, occasionally, the lights of planes and satellites. At Easter time we do a four-day drama of Jesus’ death and resurrection. On the Saturday night we sleep at the beach and wait for Jesus to appear on Sunday morning. As the sun rises, Jesus comes.
In Psalm 19, the psalm for today, we are reminded that the heavens tell the glory of God. When we look up we see beyond what is in front of us. Instead we see the great expanse of sky, of cloud, of stars. The Psalmist compares the wonder of the heavens to the law of LORD; perfect and enlightening.
In the gospel we read a passage that is familiar to many. Jesus asks his disciples, ‘Who do you say that I am?’. It is in Jesus’ teaching after the disciples’ answer that we find the wonder of God humbled to suffering and redeemed in resurrection. What is our answer to Jesus? It may be good at this point to connect people with the darkness that spread over the land for 3 hours when Jesus was crucified. The sky, too, was in mourning. At the moment of Jesus’ death the curtain in the temple was ripped in two. This meant that all, not just the priest, could see the holy of holies. All now had access to the wonder of God.
