from the National Council of Churches in Australia
Easter 2019 Messages from Australian Church Leaders
May your Holy Week and Easter be a time of beautiful renewal
A musical friend told me last week of a conversation with his 7 year old daughter.
They were having breakfast. Out of nowhere, she said: "My life is going to be more difficult than yours, isn't it"? He knew that, in his momentary pause before answering, she saw that he thought this was probably true. So he didn't try to evade or obfuscate. "Yes, probably", he heard himself saying. Then he added some words about all doing our best that her life not be too difficult...
In the Taize prayer below, we have a beautiful affirmation of our Easter hope, "well spring of a new beginning". A new beginning is what we need, for the whole human family, away from fear and hate, towards love and trust.
My musical friend and I had been talking about the arts and advocacy, as we try to lift people's spirits and change the nature of contemporary politics. So, seeking divine communion with all that is; seen and unseen, with our Easter faith, practicing our spiritual disciplines and striving to live in the Holy Spirit.
Easter tells us - thus we can draw on the energy of the Risen One who is Alpha and Omega, beginning and end, "in whom all things hold together" (Colossians1.)
Drawing on the divine energy, we can renew our focus on making things better for all God's little people, including my musical friend's insightful 7 year old daughter.
We want to give them real hope, yes?
May your Holy Week and Easter be a time of beautiful renewal and clarity for our shared future as hope- bearers, in these troubled times.
Bishop Philip Huggins. Bishop Philip Huggins, President National Council of Churches in Australia
(Note: This year the Western Churches will celebrate Easter on Sunday 21 April and the Orthodox Churches will celebrate Easter on Sunday 28 April.)
The 12 messages follow.
