Reconciliation, generosity and love in bishops' Easter messages

Bishops across the region have spoken of reconciliation, generosity and helping those in need in their Easter messages.

In his Easter Message, the Bishop of Lichfield, the Right Reverend Dr Michael Ipgrave, said he was inspired by the generosity of others despite the hardships that surround us.

He addressed the cost of living crisis that is affecting many, but praised the generosity of so many in helping others.

He said: "‘O generous love’ is one of my favourite hymns which we sing around Easter. But can we speak about generosity in our present times?

"Fuel costs and household bills are rising fast; there is so much need in our world, and so many claims on our giving that some people speak of ‘compassion fatigue; when households across our country are struggling to get by, is it fair to ask them to think about generosity?

"Certainly times are hard for many in our society."

The bishop spoke about how acts of generosity had been on display at all times, such as more than 150,000 people registering to house Ukrainian refugees and other donations made by the Diocese of Lichfield.

He said: "The churches of our diocese, strapped for cash as they are, have raised thousands of pounds to support our companion diocese of Matlosane in South Africa.

"Every day, often unnoticed, people with little to spare for themselves give out of sheer kindness to those whose needs are even greater than their own.

"Even though we know all too well our own lack and neediness, as humans we do recognise the importance of giving to others, though we are often embarrassed to admit it.

"I believe that our instinct for generosity comes from the fact that we are made in the image of a God who is immeasurably generous in his love and care for us."

The bishop also said the message of Easter and the resurrection of Jesus was an example of how love will always triumph over hate and how it is more blessed to give than to take.

He said: "Sometimes the needs of our world are terribly clear and shocking in their intensity, as we see in Ukraine.

"Sometimes, they are hidden in plain sight, as young families or older people having to choose between warmth and food as they face rising bills.

"Always there is the chance for us to respond from our heart, however limited our own resources – it is often the poor who give most generously.

"And when we do so, we are choosing to live the resurrection life to which Easter invites all people.

"To live in that way asks a lot of us, but it can also brings us deep satisfaction, so that we learn to pray: 'Teach us, good Lord, to serve you as you deserve, to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labour and not to ask for any reward, save that of knowing that we do your will'."

The Bishop of Worcester, the Right Reverend Dr John Inge, said Easter was more relevant that ever because of it being about reconciliation.

He said: "We are all, I think, desperate for reconciliation in Ukraine: for peace with justice there.

"It seems a long way off. Fear and anxiety stalk our communities as people worry about what’s happening and whether the conflict will escalate, alongside other worries about emerging from the pandemic and about the unprecedented cost-of-living crisis we are facing.

"If Easter is about reconciliation, about God reconciling the whole creation to himself though the death and resurrection of Jesus, about making peace with us so that we are able to make peace with one another and live in love and charity, there doesn’t seem to be much evidence of it."

He added: "We should not be surprised that peace and reconciliation seem a long way off. Jesus warned his disciples that ‘you will hear of wars and rumours of wars’.

"He tells them not to be alarmed. He says that nation will rise up against nation and that there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

"And what are we to do in the face of all this? We are to stand firm, firm in the love that God has commanded us to show one another, knowing that on the cross Jesus enters into human suffering and his resurrection gives us the assurance that his love, in the end, will triumph.

"No-one ever promised us that life would be easy, but we can have hope, hope in the eternal and invincible love of God."

The Bishop of Dudley, the Right Reverend Martin Gorick, wished everyone every blessing at Easter and spoke of the message of Easter and Jesus Christ.

He said: "On Good Friday, Christians remember the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.

"On Easter Sunday, we celebrate his victory over death. On that third day after he was killed, the risen Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene, then to his twelve disciples, and then to hundreds of others.

"As Christians we believe the risen Jesus is with us still through the Holy Spirit within each one of us and at the heart of the church and of the world. He is risen indeed. Alleluia."

The bishop also spoke of living in a broken world and the issues faced by many, but also the generosity shown by many.

He said: "Climate change is happening. Covid is real. Refugees have long fled from wars across the globe, from Syria to Afghanistan, from Somalia to Yemen.

"And now Ukraine, here in Europe, as millions of women, children and old people are forced to leave their land and their home.

"I connect with several hundred church communities across Dudley and Worcestershire, and people are opening their hearts and their homes to those in need.

"They are being generous, even though prices are going up, even though all of us are facing rising costs for food and fuel, still people are reaching out to help those in need.

"This is the true spirit of Easter. As Jesus was dying on the cross, he spoke to his mother and his disciple John.

"He asked Mary to take John as a son, and John to take Mary into his own home as if she were his own mother. Jesus did not forget those who would be left behind, and nor should we.

"In the end, Easter reminds us that Love is stronger than hate. Love is stronger than death. In the end, Love wins."

"Alleluia. Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia."