Easter reflection and Minister’s Letter April 1st, 2022
Warm Greetings brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ!
The Easter Message can be summed up in three words; ‘Jesus is risen’!
It is true to say that the world has dramatically changed with no clue what the future holds. We are to remind ourselves, that during the darkest days of our history, we shall trust and hope.
And since January 20th, 2020, after Covid19 was declared a global health emergency, the world has discovered small acts of kindness to one’s neighbour make a huge difference in bringing a smile to God’s people. It is therefore necessary to keep in mind that as we approach Easter, the forty days of spiritual penance and consecration in lent, plays a crucial role in the spiritual transformation for the Christian family and prepares us to explode with joy, because Sin, Satan and the grave has been defeated.
In Mark 9:30–32 Jesus predicted his suffering and death and sends his disciples to go ahead and prepare for the Last Supper, as Judas and Sanhedrin plot to have Jesus arrested, after the trial.
Gospel of John 19:1-3, lets us know the soldiers “twisted together a crown of thistle thorns and set it on Jesus’s head. Why place the painful crown of thorns on his head? The crown of thorns was a symbol of mockery of Jesus by the Roman soldiers. But there is good news in the midst of everything. Jesus was willing to endure the pain, the insults, and the shame, all on our account. in his perfect atoning sacrifice, delivering us from the curse of sin, of which a thorn is a symbol.
In Galatians 3; 14-15, it explains. ‘’Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us’’. The Crown of thorns was intended to be a mockery, but it became an excellent symbol of who Jesus is and what He came to accomplish.
The Roman soldiers used ugly instruments to torment Jesus with. For example, the whip, the hammer, the nails, and the cross were all symbols and instrument of power and violence against the powerless. This is the opposite of God’s power. The promises of God are freely given, without coercion, as opposed to the conversion therapy carried by some Christians.
Too often we do find ourselves in similar traps, doing violence and hurting others often taking power unjustly, suppressing the weak without offering them space and creating an enabling environment for them to flourish.
You do remember a few years ago of a wider global movement that emerged around the world involving a horrendous act that led to the ugly death of an American young black man in his forties, George Floyd. His cry before dying was, ‘’I can’t breathe’’. We must be careful less we fall into the same trap of social injustices suffocating and denying others space to enjoy life as God intended. What are some of the small things we do that make others feel suffocated because of their skin, sexuality, age and social status among other things?
Let us learn from Easter to heal relationships and let new life spring forth. In His life and death Jesus offered Himself, absorbing our violence with his agape love.
The Easter story is about the resurrection of Jesus, and a reminder of the new life He gives, that we might face the future with hope.
For all of us walking through this season, Easter brings the message of hope in the face of hopelessness. So why not consider the invitation by a risen Saviour to embrace the wonder of all that Resurrection Sunday brings.
We serve a RISEN Lord. Jesus is risen. Let us tell the world.
Wishing you a joyous blessed Easter season.
Warm Easter Regards:
Rev Francis Itiiri