From the National Council of Churches in Australia
The National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA) is often contacted before Easter by media looking for a religious comment on this high festival.
This year the NCCA has gathered together Easter messages from 9 of Australia’s heads of Churches, and an ecumenical message from the General Secretary of the NCCA. Please scroll down the page or click on the links below to read the message of one of the listed Churches.
We hope these messages are helpful to the media, and the Australian public, as Christians in Australia and around the world celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ.*
Ms Debra Porter
NCCA Communications Officer
(* NB. In 2007 all Christians, of Western and Orthodox traditions, will celebrate Easter on April 8.)
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Anglican Church
This year, as we follow again Christ’s journey to the cross, we are surrounded by unusually stark reminders of the fragility of life. We have watched rivers and waterways run dry, and seen, either first-hand or on television news, farming land become arid and non-productive. In many parts of Australia we are facing increasingly severe water restrictions and we are seeing grass and plants in our own gardens gradually wither and die. These images are ready and immediate symbols of death for us.
Easter brings the promise of life in the face of death. Where, this Easter, will we find corresponding images of resurrection life? Will there be new life for our society in working together to find ways to share the scarce resource of water and to manage our waterways more effectively? Is it possible that this crisis may contain in it the seeds of our future life together?
The God of the Bible acts in unexpected and surprising ways to create life and new beginnings where all looks dead and lost.
My prayer for us all, this Easter, is that we should know the full life of the risen Christ. May this Easter season be for you like a fresh, green shoot, which rises from the earth and matures to bear much fruit.
The Most Reverend Dr Phillip Aspinall
Primate
Anglican Church of Australia
Assemblies of God
For millions of Australians, and billions of Christians worldwide, Easter is one of the most significant events on the calendar.
It’s a time to reflect and remember the selfless sacrifice that Jesus Christ made on the cross, and to celebrate the forgiveness and hope we have through His life, death and resurrection.
Pivotal to the Easter message is the fact that Jesus rose from the dead. It’s the resurrection that differentiates Christianity from all other religions and gives potency and legitimacy to the message of Christ.
For close to two millennia people have tried to discredit this Truth, most recently in a documentary that claims to have found Jesus’ sarcophagus.
The resurrection transcends understanding and can’t be explained rationally because what took place on the third day was truly supernatural.
This supernatural event arrested Mary Magdalene’s attention, the first to encounter Jesus after His resurrection. It ignited faith and passion in the Apostles, fuelling them to take Christ’s message far and wide, and it continues to transform the lives of people today.
Jesus died and rose from the grave for all humanity. Spectacular? Yes. But more importantly, it was supernatural.
I pray in the midst of gathering with family, friends and an abundance of chocolate, that we will all take time to reflect on the true meaning of Easter and the supernatural power of Jesus Christ.
Brian Houston
National President
Assemblies of God in Australia
Catholic Church
To celebrate the feast of Easter is to experience real hope.
It is a time of great promise – we hope for a better world, that misunderstandings may become friendships and that in our faith we find the conviction to live with positive influence.
The very centre of our belief is the risen Christ. He offered us all hope by rising from the dead but we, too, can be comfort for others.
Amidst the gloom of drought, the war on terror, bushfires, growing social disadvantage across Australia, unthinkable family tragedies and a rising road toll, Easter reminds us to keep the faith.
It calls on us to champion life and love and to have special care for those for whom life is so bleak there appears to be no hope at all.
The task facing Christians, as Disciples of Christ, is to be enlivened by the reality of his resurrection and presence among us.
Therefore, we should not look at Easter as simply a holiday, but rather as a time to reflect, and in that, find renewal.
By reaching out to family, friends and those in need, we realise that often the most important gift is that which we cannot see.
Easter has become a symbol of this, for it is the risen Christ who walks with us through trouble and darkness towards eternal peace and joy.
The Most Reverend Philip Wilson
President
Australian Catholic Bishops Conference
Coptic Orthodox Church
“Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen” (Gal.1:3-5)
I wish to extend to you all my sincere greetings on the occasion of the blessed Easter, beseeching the Lord Jesus Christ to grant us all the blessings of many returns of this holy occasion in heavenly peace, together with a life of sanctity without which no one will be able to see the LORD.
Click here to view the full text of His Grace Bishop Daniel’s Easter 2007 Message.
Let us rejoice in Christ the Lord’s Resurrection from the dead. Let us fear nothing. We are the heirs of the Kingdom. We are heirs with the LORD, through the intercession of the Virgin Lady, all the Saints and the prayers of His Holiness our Great Pope Shenouda III. May the Lord keep him safe for us for many years to come and may our LORD Jesus Christ bless him with good health and peace.
We pray our LORD to protect our country and its leaders. May He give them the wisdom and the ability to always lead Australia to a better future. We also implore our LORD that HIS Peace and Love prevail over the whole world.
He who loves you all,
Daniel
Bishop of Sydney & Affiliated Regions
Coptic Orthodox Church
Lutheran Church
The rituals of Easter make much use of light. In many traditions, the lights are extinguished at the conclusion of Maundy Thursday’s service, leaving the place of worship dark and unlit as a reminder of Jesus’ death and the time he spent in the tomb. The return of the light comes with the dawn on the day of Resurrection: the ascent of the sun through the morning sky is reflected indoors as the lights come on in our churches and the worshippers sing ‘hallelujah’.
The Gospel of St Luke tells of two men walking home from Jerusalem, and joined on the road by a stranger to whom they related the amazing happenings of the first Easter day. It took them the time of their walk as well as time at the dinner table before they recognized the risen Saviour in their walking companion. They simply had to return to Jerusalem as quickly as they could to tell the other disciples of what they had seen. Their Easter joy just could not be contained! What better news can we bring to a sorrowing world, than that Jesus Christ the Lord is risen and triumphs over death and sin.
The Reverend Mike Semmler
President
Lutheran Church of Australia
Mar Thoma Church
The celebration of Easter brings to our attention the fact that it is the resurrection of the crucified Messiah. The crucified Jesus is vindicated by God. Jesus’ obedience to the uttermost is honored by his Father (Mt 26:39). The resurrection of Christ helps us to understand Jesus' death as a victory instead of a tragedy. Through the resurrection of Christ, the style of life through self-giving is affirmed. The doctrine of resurrection is of great importance not because of its supernatural wrappings but because of the theological questions: Does God allow sin or evil to have the final word in history? Is there any enduring value in our stances for the just causes and the resultant sufferings? The resurrection of Christ gives the message of God’s ultimate triumph over the forces of evil in this world. This also helps us to see the eternal value in suffering for the sake of others.
The cross is an inevitable part of Christian life. In our life of faith there should be a continuous assimilation of the mystery of the cross and resurrection over against the values and ethics of the present day market culture such as individualism, competition, profit and pleasure. The picture of the crucified- risen Christ brings before us a new pattern of life, which sets new priorities and values before us. Our task is to give witness to Christ by following him on the way of the cross (Mk.8: 34). So the resurrected Christ exhorts us to choose life and its higher values and reject the forces of death at all levels.
Wishing you all a happy and blessed Easter.
Reverend Dr. Koshy P. Varughese
Mar Thoma Church
The Salvation Army
We greet you this Easter in the name of the risen Lord Jesus Christ. May this season and this resurrection Sunday bring to you and your loved ones the joy of Jesus and the hope of promised tomorrows in His name. His love for each of us is demonstrated on the cross of Calvary and made secure by His resurrection on the third day.
As leaders of The Salvation Army in Australia, we call all Salvos and the wider Christian community to celebrate the victory of Jesus over death and the grave as we love others to the plan and delight of God.
Have a happy Easter.
Commissioner James M. Knaggs Commissioner Les Strong
Territorial Commander Territorial Commander
The Salvation Army The Salvation Army
Australia Southern Territory Australia Eastern Territory
Uniting Church
Two long-sworn enemies sat down together last week and promised to work together. To see Ian Paisley and Gerry Adams sitting just a metre apart, and agreeing they could together form a joint government in Northern Ireland, was to witness a near-miracle.
It’s nine years since the Good Friday agreement was signed by the warring parties of Northern Ireland and approved by referendum. Now that agreement, after much wrangling, is finally bearing fruit.
Easter is a most fitting time for peace to shine through. Christians believe the life, death and resurrection of Jesus brings us peace with God and, through commitment to the peaceful vulnerable courageous way of Jesus, gives us the opportunity of peace with each other, across all our human divisions.
Jesus lived in absolute goodness and love. And people couldn’t stand it - he was opposed, arrested and executed. His resurrection to new life three days later shows the victory of love. If only humankind would learn it and live it.
This Easter I’ll be particularly praying for the peace of Jerusalem. Right now appears to be the best chance in years for progress towards peace for Israel and Palestine. May the leaders and people of the Holy Land learn from the leaders and people of Northern Ireland. And may God bless us all with peace this Easter season.
Gregor Henderson
President
Uniting Church in Australia
National Council of Churches in Australia
Jesus’ death and resurrection is the defining event of Christianity and the bedrock of belief. For millennia Christians have commemorated it every time they worship, not just at Easter.
In Australia the Easter long weekend is mainly a secular public holiday. All Australians should enjoy this well deserved break from their daily routine. Rest and relaxation are an important aspect of our lives and should give us time to ‘re-create’ ourselves. It’s an important counter to the work and routine that so easily takes over.
Millions of Christians will use this time to attend the thousands of worship services that will be held all over the country from Thursday night to Sunday. There the drama will be re-told, sadness and joy will mingle, and people will reconnect with each other and with the God who loves them.
Church doors will be open across Australia this weekend. Some will be ancient and traditional and others will be cutting edge contemporary. Some will have brilliant music and choirs and others will be struggling or have no musicians at all. The externals will vary, but the heart of the celebration is the same. The National Council of Churches hopes that even more people will find their place in a Christian community this weekend, and that those communities will welcome everyone who comes, in the name of Christ.
John Henderson
General Secretary
National Council of Churches in Australia
