Out of Sight
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters. (Psalm 24:1-2)
I have always been a terrible letter writer. I never seem to get around to thinking, writing and then sending. It is so much easier now we have emails and texts where we can think of something – and the expectation of a full page of a letter which terrified me, is not there – now it’s just the facts – or immediate situation that we communicate.
There is much which is good with our immediate world. We can achieve more, be more efficient with our time, shop around further to get a better deal. But I wonder what we might be losing.
I have just come back from the other side of the world. Having never been south of the equator before, Joy and I went on a cruise from Brisbane up to Singapore. We saw parts of the world we had never considered before. We heard stories and met people with different cultures. One of the things that appealed to me was our journey into the future with Brisbane being in the time zone GMT+10 so we got to each day before you in the UK, and went to bed while you were still awake. I sent messages to my grandchildren “from the future”.
Now that we are home, it is more easy to imagine our friends taking the world cruise (we joined 15 days of their 100) as they carry on their journey. We can think of the strange land of Bali with its temples as part of every house, and their driving which I really couldn’t understand – I don’t think the line between carriageways meant anything at all – you could drive on either side of the road at times !!!
But now life is cold and wet instead of warm and sunny. Things go on as they always have. It would be so easy to forget that part of the world.
In our fast-paced world, it's easy to feel disconnected from those who are physically distant—friends and family members living on the other side of the globe may seem "out of sight, out of mind."
At this Easter time we are challenged to find out how much our belief in the resurrection of Jesus is really a part of our life. Our connections go beyond mere physical boundaries. We are joined not only with those elsewhere in this world, but also those who have died. Death is not the end.
Jesus rose from the grave showing a new beginning and it gives us hope to meet again with loved ones who have gone before us.
Not only that, but in our relationships of this world, some are good and some are bad, and yet the resurrection of Jesus gives us hope also that our own lives can turn around, that we can be forgiven bad decisions or actions, and find a good future with His help.
The relationships we forge in faith and love have the power to bridge any gap. By embracing the message of resurrection, we can cultivate a sense of community that spans the globe, reminding us that we are never truly alone.
In a world that often feels divided, the resurrection invites us to connect with one another in meaningful ways, fostering hope and unity as we look forward to the eternal promise of life in Christ.
At Easter we can echo the great prayer said at our Christmas Carol Services:
Lastly, let us remember before God all those who rejoice with us, but upon another shore, and in a greater light, that multitude which no-one can number, whose hope was in the Word made flesh, and with whom in the Lord Jesus we are one forevermore.
Brian Leathers (March 2025)