Page 2 - Moravian Messenger April 2021

Letter
From the Bishops of the Moravian Church in Great Britain and Ireland
Rt Rev WJH McOwat, Rt Rev J Kreusel, Rt Rev S Groves
A letter to the Members and Friends of the British Province of the Moravian Church
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
We greet you in the name of our Risen Lord.
We write at a time of deep suffering for many people. Corona virus has caused so much anxiety and grief for many in our own communities and for people across the world, particularly in poorer countries. We remember that the situation in Yemen is worsening, there has been a military coup in Myanmar and that these are but recent examples of deep political instability and pain that so many experience.
Along with this suffering comes the reality of climate change and environmental degradation that will affect us all, rich and poor alike. This is indeed a dark time for many people.
As Christians we see Jesus and all that he reveals to us as being at the centre of the message of the Bible. So, when we look at the events of Holy Week and Good Friday in particular, we see that God in Jesus has entered fully into the pain, betrayal, religious and political machinations and suffering that this world experiences. God has taken on all
that we name as sin and through the cross has overcome it and reconciled the world to himself. Our Easter services take us from this pain to the reality of the resurrection and the power of God in overcoming evil.
This hope of resurrection in the midst of our world's problems should shape our lives and our response to physical and spiritual need. How can this be seen in our congregations and individual lives? How can you bring God's peace, love and reconciliation into your situation? How does the message of Good Friday and Easter affect you?
In the light of the sacrifice of Jesus and of his resurrection and in the hope that this gives, we urge you to work and pray for the good of all, neighbours near and far. We daily pray that God's kingdom will come on earth as it is in heaven.
We would like to close with encouraging words of our Risen Saviour.
Jesus came and stood among them (the frightened disciples) and said 'Peace be with you'. John 20:19b
The Easter People continued
day, the Good Friday Liturgy, all coming to a climax on Easter Sunday morning as the minister proclaims 'The Lord is risen' and the congregation replies 'He is risen indeed'. Where there is a burial ground the congregation moves there for the final prayers, remembering those who have died during the year, but still rejoicing that this is the day of the Lord's resurrection. Easter People! It will be a little different this year, but the basics will remain. So, some have used the name
with reference to the Moravian Church in its Easter worship as well as in its history.
A lovely compliment, but also a challenge: to live in the power of the resurrection as Easter People not only in worship but in the whole of life, people who find purpose and meaning in life as they follow the risen Lord, working with him to renew their own lives and to build a society where justice and mercy, peace and love
are at home. Then our Easter thanksgiving will indeed be, thanks be to God who gives us
the victory through
our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Br Fred Linyard
Ockbrook
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