The birth, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ is at the centre of the Christian faith.
In a country that professes to be 80% Christian, the story of the passion week that culminates with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his resurrection on Easter Sunday continues to shape millions of people’s lives. In the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ we meet the God who loves the world so much that, “God gave God’s only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
John 3:16: It is this radical and even reckless love that takes Him to the cross in solidarity with the poor, vulnerable, persecuted, marginalised and hopeless. This same love ultimately takes Him to his death, a public scandalous and humiliation-intended death. Those who follow Him in today’s world know that as they experience the cross in their lives, God is in solidarity with them; those who die in the hands of their partners and other men through gender-based violence; those who die of hunger in a world and country where there is more than enough to feed everyone; and those who feel the pain of loneliness in a world that disregards them – in that cross they all hear the words, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?”
They know they are not alone. The gospel of Mark chapter 16, records the story of the three women who shared the news of the risen Lord which became the foundation stone not only of the church but for the triumph of a different vision of the world built on God’s Kingdom.
In this new world of the Risen Christ, love conquers hate, the first will be last and the last will be first, the hungry will be fed, the cripple will walk, the blind will see.
In this kingdom we have power in service rather than dominance, light will overcome darkness.
We do not kill our enemies but love them to the point of praying for them. Light overcomes darkness, love overcomes hate, hope overcomes hopelessness. In the resurrection we know the world can live in mutuality rather than this current self-destructive trajectory of violence and war.
In the resurrection we know our country can rise from the ashes of poverty and economic exclusion of the majority, to where all people will live dignified lives as they participate in the economic life of the country. In resurrection, we know that true reconciliation, sacrificial reconciliation – where we serve our neighbour with all that we are, is possible.
We believe, inspired by the resurrection, corruption can and will be defeated by the virtues of honesty, transparency and accountability. For this to happen we need the seed of the faith and courage of the three women in every congregation, every street, every block, in every village, town and city to say to us that though it seems that death, corruption, lawlessness, war and bigotry have won – there is a counter message: He is risen, love is risen, servanthood is risen, the values of God can never be defeated because He is risen.
This Easter message is from the general secretary of the South African Council of Churches Bishop Malusi Mpumlwana.
The values of God can never be defeated because He is risen
Image: 123RF
The birth, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ is at the centre of the Christian faith.
In a country that professes to be 80% Christian, the story of the passion week that culminates with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his resurrection on Easter Sunday continues to shape millions of people’s lives. In the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ we meet the God who loves the world so much that, “God gave God’s only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
John 3:16: It is this radical and even reckless love that takes Him to the cross in solidarity with the poor, vulnerable, persecuted, marginalised and hopeless. This same love ultimately takes Him to his death, a public scandalous and humiliation-intended death. Those who follow Him in today’s world know that as they experience the cross in their lives, God is in solidarity with them; those who die in the hands of their partners and other men through gender-based violence; those who die of hunger in a world and country where there is more than enough to feed everyone; and those who feel the pain of loneliness in a world that disregards them – in that cross they all hear the words, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?”
They know they are not alone. The gospel of Mark chapter 16, records the story of the three women who shared the news of the risen Lord which became the foundation stone not only of the church but for the triumph of a different vision of the world built on God’s Kingdom.
In this new world of the Risen Christ, love conquers hate, the first will be last and the last will be first, the hungry will be fed, the cripple will walk, the blind will see.
In this kingdom we have power in service rather than dominance, light will overcome darkness.
We do not kill our enemies but love them to the point of praying for them. Light overcomes darkness, love overcomes hate, hope overcomes hopelessness. In the resurrection we know the world can live in mutuality rather than this current self-destructive trajectory of violence and war.
In the resurrection we know our country can rise from the ashes of poverty and economic exclusion of the majority, to where all people will live dignified lives as they participate in the economic life of the country. In resurrection, we know that true reconciliation, sacrificial reconciliation – where we serve our neighbour with all that we are, is possible.
We believe, inspired by the resurrection, corruption can and will be defeated by the virtues of honesty, transparency and accountability. For this to happen we need the seed of the faith and courage of the three women in every congregation, every street, every block, in every village, town and city to say to us that though it seems that death, corruption, lawlessness, war and bigotry have won – there is a counter message: He is risen, love is risen, servanthood is risen, the values of God can never be defeated because He is risen.
This Easter message is from the general secretary of the South African Council of Churches Bishop Malusi Mpumlwana.
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