Easter Message 2007

Each year, around this time the Christian community celebrates, remembers and honours the momentous events of two thousand years ago, when God showed the world how much he loves us. Of course I am referring to the celebration of Easter.

This is Christianity’s most important feast. Chronologically it follows Christmas, but it out ranks Christmas. Without Easter, Christmas would lack impact. Yet without Christmas, Easter would not have happened. One sheds light on the other.

In the final analysis, however, it is Easter that gives us joy and a reason to hope, even in our darkest hours. When God chose to become human, with a human body and a human soul, our history was changed forever. But when that person, whose name was Jesus of Nazareth, suffered and died for love of the human race, we saw in stark relief just how God loves , what kind of person God is, how God deals with evil and human sin. Love was crucified on Good Friday in the person of Jesus Christ.

I think all of us have glimpsed the love of God at times in our lives, and even within ourselves. You may not recognize it at the time, but when you experience forgiveness or offer another person your forgiveness, whenever you give with no strings attached or receive from a generous, selfless person, when ever you hear a voice of tolerance in a tense situation, whenever patience prevents you from losing your temper, whenever you offer a helping hand with no hope of personal gain, count your blessings because you have just come into personal contact with the God who died on the cross on that first Good Friday!

Yet, that is not the end of the matter. What really makes the difference and is the source of our hope and which guarantees the legitimacy of the teachings of Jesus, is that he rose from the dead. Our faith is that Jesus rose again in his human body. But what exactly happened? We know that it was not like his friend Lazarus whom Jesus called from the tomb, because Lazarus died again. But in the resurrection of Jesus there is no more death, no more suffering: only life without end. Every Christian hopes that this blessing will be bestowed upon them by a loving and forgiving God once death has visited them.

This is a great and wonderful mystery. It resides in our hearts every time we farewell a loved one at a funeral. Faith gives us the knowledge and hope that we shall see our mother, father, brother, sister, son, daughter or friend again because in truth death is not the end. In reality it is only the beginning of an eternal, never ending life in which joy beyond our imagination will be ours.

When Jesus rose from the dead, he commanded his disciples to go out into the whole world to announce this great good news for the first time. We are the beneficiaries of their proclamation. This Easter let’s thank God for this gift and do our part to show others through our words and deeds that God really is alive in us.

I want to wish you every blessing for the Easter Season. And let’s continue to hope and pray that rain will bring new life to our dry land.