From the newsletter ...

Hope for a suffering world...

We're very close to the most important of Christian festivals - Easter - when Christians try to enter into the real meaning of the death of Jesus Christ for them personally, and His resurrection from the dead. The coming to life of a dead man is not something one would claim lightly, for fear of ridicule.

But this is exactly the claim a disparate and incredulous group of men and women made about the man Jesus - the one they had watched die. How else can one describe their fear of association with Jesus being transformed into a desire to tell the world the wonderful news?

Christianity spread like a fire storm, from a few frightened followers uttering the words, 'He is risen'. Over the coming weeks 1900 million Christians throughout the world will respond to the words 'Christ is risen' with this same proclamation, 'He is risen indeed'.

These words carry such hope for a suffering world because when Christians talk about God they are talking about God as He is revealed in Jesus. This is why Christians often call God 'the crucified one'. The world suffers - I see so much personal pain and sadness and, for me, the Cross is about solidarity - that a God who entered into our world also enters into our suffering.

The message of Easter is that in God we can find a deep assurance that, no matter what happens in this life and beyond, in our darkest moments of doubt and despair, God is near and we are loved. We may find it hard to accept that love because of the way the world loves and maybe even the way the church loves, but the open arms of Jesus are waiting to welcome all who will receive Him.

Wishing you all a wonderful Easter break.

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© 2009; Published in Crosstalk, April 2009