2023 Easter Message
By Dr Glenn N Davies, Bishop of the Diocese of the Southern Cross.
Christians have used many symbols in the past two thousand years.
Ancient Christians used the sign of a fish (whose letters in Greek provided an acronym for Jesus) – more recently Middle East Christians undergoing persecution used the letter N – for Nazarene, to identify as followers of Jesus of Nazareth.
But the most universal symbol of all is the cross. Even that is being targeted now in China, where authorities are removing crosses from churches.
In fact, religious freedom is under threat around the world.
It is strange that the cross should be feared for its power, because in Jesus’ time a cross meant execution – it meant failure and death.
But the great power in the symbol of the cross for us is that it is empty.
Yes, Jesus died on the cross but he was raised from the dead.
The resurrection of Jesus was not merely a resuscitation, because he rose not to die again but to inaugurate a new era beyond this age of death, disease and decay.We say that people who have been resuscitated get a second chance at life – maybe you know someone for whom that has happened.
The resurrection of Jesus means a second chance for all of us, if we will accept it — a chance for new life, eternal life, as our sins are nailed to the cross so that we too shall rise with him.
___
Photo by Pixabay.
2 Comments
Leave A Comment
Recent Articles:
12 August 2026
5.4 MINS
Two years after FBI agents visited her home, whistleblower Vanessa Sivadge’s case has led to a landmark settlement that compels Texas Children’s Hospital to open a detransition clinic for patients harmed by its sex-change procedures.
12 August 2026
3.2 MINS
The former Funky Bunch rapper, actor and savvy investor is unashamed and unafraid, especially when it comes to being light in an increasingly dark space. True to his word, Mark Wahlberg hasn’t wavered.
12 August 2026
2.8 MINS
God calls us to be faithful, not successful. When we focus all our attention on Jesus — as Peter needed to do — we can rest in him and entrust the results of our prayers and advocacy for the unborn to the one who loves us.
11 August 2026
4.5 MINS
The Albanese Government has adopted 35 recommendations from Aftab Malik's Islamophobia report without revealing which ones, while ignoring the Australian Christian Freedom Index's findings on Christian persecution.
11 August 2026
3.8 MINS
Should Australian Bureau of Statistics leadership change hands? A repeatedly altered Census religion question has some questioning whether Gruen can be trusted with the data.
11 August 2026
2.9 MINS
Fr John Flader answers a catechist's question, showing how Old Testament sacrifice, the prophet Isaiah and the New Testament all point to Jesus as the Lamb of God.
11 August 2026
3.5 MINS
Human worth does not depend on whether we are wanted, healthy, or independent. It comes from our Creator God.
Thank you for this beautiful piece. May your words touch the hearts of many in our nation and abroad. He lives!
The key phrase for me in this lovely article is ” the resurrection of Jesus means a second chance for all of us – if we will accept it “.
This second chance is not a given it is not an entitlement it is a conditional opportunity to enter into His presence for eternity.