Sheila Maxey tries to put joy into words

I had the privilege of leading worship on Easter Sunday this year – I must have done so countless times over the past 40 years. There are great hymns to sing and the congregation is particularly keen to be there and the church is full of daffodils, but I always find it hard, if not impossible, to preach.

At last, in a book I read during Lent this year, written by Rowan Williams, I think I found some kind of explanation. He says that the real victory day is Good Friday and the Gospel accounts leading up to the crucifixion are very clearly documented. However, the resurrection stories are confused and contradictory. How many angels at the tomb? Who got there first? Who rolled away the stone? Who told whom? This is because the joyful news is so overwhelming that it is beyond words…

Sheila Maxey is a member of Ingatestone United Reformed Church, Essex

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This is an extract from an article published in the Issue 4 – 2025 edition of Reform

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