The Bishop of Worcester’s Easter message 2023
I HAVE recently returned from leading a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. While there we visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, which was built in the year 327 on the spot where Jesus was crucified and where he rose from the dead. It’s a deeply evocative place.
The Bible tells us that Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem when he saw the shape that it was in. Tragically, it’s just as bad, if not worse, now – it is still a battleground.
And yet, it is because of what happened in that city all those years ago that we can have hope. As Christians we know that, through the resurrection, which we celebrate again this Easter, Christ is risen from the dead and that in doing so has conquered all that is evil, all that is painful and death itself. So we can go through this world rejoicing with Christian hope, able to confront the terrors of the situation that exists in the Holy Land and others across the world, in Ukraine and elsewhere.
We can do so in our own communities seeking to spread hope through our faith in the resurrection of Jesus.
Christ is risen! Happy Easter!
Bishop John Inge
