from the National Council of Churches in Australia
Easter 2022 Messages
from Australian Church Leaders
‘He is Risen’
The dynamics of life can be complex. Good things happen and matters that are not so good also happen. The causes for both can be hard to fathom.
These past months have seen an unfolding of differing tragedies in the Ukraine, Tigray, the Middle East, and other places as well. The images of the way warfare impacts on people are with us every evening. It can be overwhelming. Peace can seem impossible. Alongside this is the reality of natural disasters in Australia. The flooding in New South Wales and Queensland, and the reality of bushfires, serve to remind us of the fragility of life, even on our own doorstep. Disaster is not far away – it is close at hand.
War and natural disasters remove and dislocate people from their homes and community. In the Ukraine, we have seen many people crossing borders in search of safety and community. People impacted by flooding are similarly dislocated. The need for shelter, security and dignity is one all of humanity shares.
Within Australia, the experience of dispossession and dislocation continues to impact on Australia’s First Peoples’ sense of home and identity. The invitation offered in the Statement from the Heart has not been received in the spirit of hope with which it was offered.
Easter brings us to the foundation of deep and lasting hope and grace.
The journey that Jesus takes to the cross is one marked by an unfair trial, injustice, persecution, and vilification. Death, without compassion or care, is the result. Apart from the women, those around Jesus give up and flee. This is a picture of despair.
Yet it is not the full picture, because through the despair rises a hope so deep and wonderful that those who experience it can only cry, with absolute joy, ‘He is Risen’. This is a celebration of life that comes victorious out of the journey of Jesus’ pain and suffering.
At Easter, we remember and give thanks for this reality. Life is victorious over death! In this we have hope in the midst of seasons of despair and uncertainty. This depth of hope is not the result of a motivational speech – it is the promise of the living presence of Jesus, alive and with us, in every circumstance and in every place.
Rev John Gilmore, President
National Council of Churches in Australia
(Note: This year the Western Churches will celebrate Easter on Sunday 17 April and the Orthodox and Oriental Churches will celebrate Easter on Sunday 24 April.)
The 14 messages follow.
F
