Dear Colleagues,
I cannot help but feel that this year we
are being given a profound insight into the Easter story. We are learning once
again what it is to be powerless, when forces beyond our control shape our
lives. And just like the disciples on Good Friday, we are learning what it is
to be spectators, of or participants in, a story that is not of our choosing.
Like many of you, I have been deeply moved
by the fear and loss that some families are experiencing. I have also
been humbled by the courage and generosity of so many who are putting
themselves in harms way to keep our services, shops, pharmacies, surgeries and
hospitals going. Maybe this is a glimpse into the realities of the kingdom of
God, where those who appear to be the least are actually the most important.
We are also experiencing something of the
isolation and trepidation that the disciples felt in the long hours after good
Friday, when their hopes and dreams appeared to be shattered and they had no
idea what the future would hold in the days or weeks that followed.
In many ways I am reminded of this time
last year when I watched helplessly while Notre Dame burned. Except this time,
the loss is much more profound and personal.
For many of us this Easter will be unlike
any we have previously experienced. Not only because we will not have the joy
of sharing with our congregations or wider families. But also because as a
society, we know that it will be some time before we can move past our own Good
Friday and find the hope, energy and possibilities that will come with a
different kind of resurrection.
Easter Sunday transformed a small group of
people, who in turn started a movement that changed the world. I hope and pray
that as we go beyond our current situation, enough of us will also be
transformed that we can make a similar difference.
Each year Christians throughout the world
share in those ancient and profound words Alleluia Christ is Risen. He
is risen indeed Alleluia. This year, as we face a global pandemic, I
pray for the time when people throughout the world will utter fresh words of
hope and thankfulness. And I also pray that our shared experience and shared
joy will somehow bring us together.
With thoughts, prayers and best wishes for
Holy Week and Easter.
Barry, Andy, John and Bishop Gregory.