Readings:
Acts 3: 12-19;
Psalm 4;
1 John 3: 1-7;
Luke 24: 36b-48

Collect:
Risen Christ,
you filled your disciples with boldness and fresh hope:
strengthen us to proclaim your risen life and fill us with your peace,
to the glory of God the Father.  Amen.

Reflection

Well of course the news of the week has been the death of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. Even the Royal Family has not been immune from the restrictions of Covid, as they have to abide by the limitations on numbers at his funeral, and the public have been urged to stay away. Death is, indeed, a great leveller. 

Much has been made in the past week of Prince Philip’s ‘legacy’. He was not at all keen on the idea, apparently, but the truth is each one of us leaves something behind, some imprint on the world. His was his many decades of duty and service, not only to the Queen, but to the country, first as a naval officer, and then as a representative of the UK at home and abroad. His service also encompassed extensive charity work, and, unforgettably, the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, whereby many young people, myself included, were encouraged to embrace the outdoors, as well as our own challenges of service and self-development. 

Well, you may or may not be much of a royalist, and reflections on the contributions of public figures are often tempered by the privilege they enjoyed in life. Human beings and human systems are always compromised. It’s wise to remember that before we place anyone on a pedestal. But still, when a significant public figure dies it’s perhaps a good time to reflect for ourselves on what will be said about usafter we’re gone, and the imprint we will leave upon the world. 

We’re still in the Easter season, and our readings are very much focussed on the events immediately following Jesus’ death. His followers are still in shock, there are these rumours of appearances, and no-one has quite worked out what the ramifications will be. However, within a very short space of time, those bewildered believers will become adamant ambassadors of the risen Christ - convinced of the power of God to reach even beyond the grave. They couldn’t help themselves – this had to be shared! And so the imprint left by Jesus changed the world. 

Perhaps part of our self-reflection can be whether, or how much, the imprint of Jesus has changed us. Are we bubbling with excitement at what his resurrection means, like those first disciples were? Do we allow our quiet but firm faith to direct our lives, like Prince Philip did? Will our journey with Jesus form part of our legacy to the world? The things we said and did, the kindness we showed, the challenges we faced despite our fear, the lives we touched with compassion? Will people say of us that our closeness to God shone through? 

The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, in a report for the Church of England in December 2020, called for Christians to be more “Christ-centred and Jesus-shaped”. In other words, we are called to bear the imprint of Jesus on our lives, so that we can share that same imprint with others and leave that imprint behind us at the end of our time on earth. 

Sharon Grenham-Thompson