Hope in Times of Fear: The Resurrection and the Meaning of Easter

The resurrection of Jesus is at the heart of the Christian faith, bringing God’s power – which will someday heal and renew the world – into our lives now. That power is here only partially, but substantially; and this gives Christians a realistic, but irrepressible, hope. It is a hope for change in our lives and in our society; a hope that changes Christians in every way, shaping every aspect of our lives.

But it is only together with the cross that we see the particular way resurrection hope shapes us. We are delivered by a Saviour who triumphed through weakness and loss; who came to riches through becoming poor, and to exalted life through the experience of death. And having come to new life by admitting our own weakness and inability to save ourselves, we live the rest of our lives according to this pattern: the way up is to go down; the way to true power and influence is to serve; the way to be truly rich is to give all we have; the way to real happiness is to work for the happiness of others.