Bishop’s Easter Message 2025
Join Bishop Dan from his home this Easter as he greets us and marvels at the hope we have in Jesus Christ, risen from the dead.
You can also read Bishop Dan’s message here:
Alleluia Christ is Risen
The Lord is risen indeed Alleluia.
I greet all you with great joy on this joyous Easter Day-- All our hopes, our true life is founded in Jesus bodily rising from death. I love the earthy way that article 4 on the Resurrection from our 39 Articles describes this greatest of all events:
Christ did truly rise again from death, and took again his body
with flesh, bones, and all things appertaining to the perfection
of Man’s nature; wherewith he ascended into Heaven, and there
sitteth (reigns), until he return to judge all People at the last day
This Easter, many events in the world swirl around us and threaten us with fear. As many vote this weekend and next week, we feel a threat to our own country. But our lives rest on the greatest of all events: Christ did truly rise again from death, with his body flesh bones and all! It means that he ascended into Heaven, it means he reigns, and that he will come again to make all things right on the last day.
If you believe Jesus is risen This also means a permanent and profound change has happened to you and affects. Listen to these amazing words from Ephesians 2.4-7:
God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
God is rich in mercy—mercy is an important word in the Bible and our prayer book, it is the idea of kindness, compassion, or pity shown to someone in need, especially someone who is suffering or in distress. We are all in great need because we were by nature dead in our trespasses, our sin. This is the bad news, the cause of all that is wrong with the world.
But the incredible events of Holy Week and Easter means God loves you and me with great love. It is unimaginably powerful love that saves us so that he makes us alive with Jesus. When you by faith believe that Jesus is Lord, he raised you up with Him and seated you with him in the heavenly place. God does it for one reason: that he might forever show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Brothers and sisters on this Easter day, this is the reason for our joy today. You are with the risen Jesus forever no matter what happens in this world. He richly pours his kindness upon us very day. May His kindness overflow into our own lives so that we bring his mercy and kindness into all our relationships. For the Lord has Risen Indeed Allelulia!
The Right Reverend Dan Gifford
Diocesan Bishop