March 19, 2008

Easter messages from Uniting Church moderators

The Rev. Niall Reid, Moderator of the New South Wales Synod

All our viewpoints, perspectives and interpretations about Christ's death and resurrection mean nothing if in 2008 we do not experience the Easter event in our lives and actions; if we do not live our lives any differently to the way we would if there was no Easter.

The first question we need to ask is, "Do we experience God active and present in our lives?"

The answer to this is more than simply saying, "I believe in God." God active and present in our lives will mean lives shaped by the cross and the empty tomb.

The cross speaks of a God who will not use violence but rather will suffer violence for the sake of peace; a God who offers forgiveness and relationship unreservedly; a God who says, "If you ask it will be given and if you don't ask it will be offered"; a God of amazing boundless grace.

God active and present in our lives also means being Easter Day people, resurrection people; that is, people who are being transformed into the likeness of Jesus. The old self is gone; but the new is coming. This is Christ alive today!

If we are people who are being transformed by the Easter event:

• We will seek to live out the life of Christ in our personal relationships;
  
• We will make sacrifices in the interests of human rights, justice and the environment;
  
• We will campaign for peace without resorting to violence;
  
• We will ask deep and searching questions about the issues of poverty, affluence, racism and war and seek to answer them in the way we live;
  
• We will ask not the question "What do I want to do in life?" but "What can I do that will be about creating a more equitable, safe, sustainable and God-inspired world?"

The images of Easter - the cross and the empty tomb - are the ultimate expression of an oft-repeated teaching of Jesus, articulated in a number of different ways, that as we die to ourselves we will experience true life.

As we grasp hold of the challenge (the cross) and the hope (the empty tomb) of Easter the promise is that we will experience the presence of God in our lives, today, tomorrow and always.

What more could we ask? What more could we want? It is simply the best!

The Rev. Jason Kioa, Moderator of the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania

Easter is a time of reconciliation. It is a time where we recall that the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ builds bridges between God and humanity and breaks down barriers across the human divide. It is a time of renewal, replenishment and a time to start again.

Yet today, we see a world that is not so reconciled: rich and poor are divided; there is still enmity between races, cultures and genders.

Often in our busy life we ignore those in need. Not because we are bad people, but because our schedules and commitments distract us from expressing compassion and concern. Then, we feel guilty that we could have done more.
But, once in a while, the circuit is broken.

Our nation stopped to say Sorry to the Stolen Generations, and goodwill and the prospect of practical help became a possibility once again.

In the Apology, we witnessed the true sentiment of Easter. How real the hope that the world could be a better place. How unifying a word like 'Sorry' can be!
But having been moved to reconciliation there now needs to be grass roots assistance, more efforts to build more bridges between races, cultures and religions.

Our governments, churches and the wider community has a renewed responsibility to make 'reconciliation real' by increasing physical assistance to indigenous people as well as being reconciled in our attitude of love and acceptance of our Aboriginal neighbours.

Easter is the total human embodiment of God's love for the world. It is a universal event - one in which God's love pervades all barriers and cultures.

It is about bringing all humanity under God's care, and at the same time allowing us the freedom to be ourselves - diverse, creative and compassionate beings.
Easter is a time for everyone to engage more actively in their community and reconnect with each other in order to create a new beginning in each other's lives.

We live in a global village, we belong to each other, and we need each other. We must engage in community - with people we know, with others that we have perhaps not engaged with in the past and with people of other faiths.

(A formal apology was made to Australia's indigenous people by the Uniting Church more than a decade ago.)

The Rev. Rod Dyson, Moderator, Uniting Church in South Australia

I am sure that my front garden looks like many others around the state. I water it religiously on Sundays when I am allowed to. I also tip buckets of shower water on the roses. I put a thick layer of bark chips all over the garden to help reduce water loss. Apart from a few Vincas that don't seem to need much water at all the rest looks like a waste land. It is hard to remember a time when it looked vibrant and healthy.

After a reputed one in three thousand year hot spell none of the above is surprising. It is a wonder that anything is alive at all. Yet today - the first coolish day - I was amazed to see beautiful flowers amongst the dry soil. They are Colchicum autumnale, sometimes called autumn Crocus. The flower buds just appear amongst the bark, forcing their way through and producing a beautiful lavender display. They are a strong sign of all that is possible at Easter. Where there was death suddenly there is new and even unexpected life.

Mary of Magdala is the first one to see the risen Jesus. He sends her to the disciples and she becomes the first messenger of the resurrection. She is the same person who is described earlier in the bible as being controlled by seven demons. She has found new life and as is the way with a loving God her background is no bar to her life now. That has been my experience too. My life is full of hope - not because of anything that I have done - but because I have stumbled across the love of God that we see in Jesus. I hope and pray that you will stumble across God's love this Easter too.