"An Idle Tale" ... Easter Hymn

According to Luke, when the women went to the tomb and encountered the angel, they heard the message, and were sent on their way. They went to to find the disciples and to share what they had been told. The disciples' response, "these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them." Who can blame them for this response out of a human understanding, using their finite human minds?

I recently heard another translation of this passage which makes complete sense and magnifies what the disciples were saying. "It's bulls**t!!"  Not a bad descriptive and makes the point pretty clearly what the disciples were thinking and saying in response to this story the women were telling them. What are other descriptive we could use ... rubbish, crap, gibberish, malarkey, hooey!! All equally through provoking. To them is could only be fabricated and nonsense!

How many today have the same response? As human beings, if we can't understand, explain or prove something like the resurrection of Jesus, then how can we possibly believe it.

Our resurrection faith, though, isn't about knowledge or scientific proof. It is about faith and trust. And, our Easter belief comes from experiencing the power of the risen Christ in our own experiences of life and death when we have nothing else to hold on to that will get us through.

Maybe it's an illness we've been diagnosed with; the death of a loved one; losing a job because of the economy; struggling with an addiction; living with mental health disease; a relationship that has dissolved whether with a spouse, a child, a sibling or a long time friend. Often, through the gift of time and people who support us along the way, we come face to face with the resurrected Christ who inspires, heals, upholds, strengthens and offers us peace.

What a profound gift. And when we've experienced it, we know it is no idle tale. It is the truth that sees us through which we rejoice in and give thanks for.

We are an Easter people; we are a resurrection people with a resurrection faith!

This hymn is written to express our faith in what many see and hear as an idle tale. It is sung to a favorite hymn tune, Woodlands, with the meter 10 10 10 10.

My prayer is that each of us may know and believe the promise of God, that our Easter faith is no idle tail, not rubbish, crap, gibberish, malarkey, hooey or bulls**t. It is the core of what we believe and who we are as a people of the resurrection. Thanks be to God!! Alleluia!!

"An Idle Tale"
tune: Woodlands
meter: 10 10 10 10

An idle tale, it never could be true

That Christ was risen and was dead no more

The women witness to a new world view

Good news of hope, an answer to their prayer.

God’s message clear, though challenged human thought

No explanation could replace the doubt.

Death was the end, no matter what he taught

This is what life on earth is all about.

We live, we die, and that’s what they believed

But God would open up another way

All grief, all death and sin would be relieved

Good news of promise greet this glorious day.

Christ is alive, he’s risen from the dead

No idle tale! Alleluia!

New days of promise wait the way ahead

The tomb is empty, Alleluia!

Text: copyright, The Rev. Canon Mark Kinghan, 2015. Not to be reproduced or redistributed in any form without the express written permission of the author.