Bp. Julian Dobbs: Easter message 2013

The Resurrection of Our Lord
March 2013

Christ is Risen Indeed!

After the long darkness of Lent, the brief exaltation of Palm Sunday, and the sorrow of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, Easter morning dawns. Lilies, trumpets, spring clothes, ancient cantatas, the 'Hallelujah Chorus', the first light, fire, water, oil, bread, wine and... an empty tomb. Jesus is alive today! The Christian community gathers around a set of symbols that indicate the season has changed, that New Life has come.

Christians gather together this Resurrection Sunday morning because of the unshakeable conviction of Jesus' early followers that something unprecedented and amazing had occurred very early in the morning on the Third Day.

The real issue of Christianity is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The New Testament speaks of the resurrection as a matter of first importance. (1 Corinthians 15:3) It is a key issue. What we believe about Christ and His resurrection impacts everything else we believe as Christians. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, the Christian faith is a foolish fantasy. The Apostle Paul's logic is blunt and direct: "If Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty...and we are found false witnesses of God." 1 Corinthians 15:14. It is as simple as that!

Thanks be to Almighty God that there is an empty tomb in Jerusalem today; that Jesus Christ is risen from the grave! the rest

Archbishop Of Canterbury Justin Welby: Let's Disagree Gracefully On Gay Marriage

Easter Messages from across the Anglican Communion

Russian Orthodox warns Church of England
The Russian Orthodox Church recently warned the new head of the Church of England about the possibility of allowing female bishops, saying it could break the unity among the churches...

Obama Attends Easter Service; Pastor Accuses Conservative Christians of Racism in Sermon
At an Easter Sunday service attended by President Barack Obama and his family, the pastor in his sermon accused politically conservative Christians of being misogynist, racist and anti-immigrant.

"It drives me crazy when the captains of the religious right are always calling us back ... for blacks to be back in the back of the bus ... for women to be back in the kitchen ... for immigrants to be back on their side of the border," the Rev. Luis León preached at St. John's Episcopal Church, according to a pooled press report...   Also: Mark Tooley: Politicizing Easter at Church of the Presidents