Comment (May 2009)

Bishop’s Letter with Bishop Martin Wharton

One of the things I’ve become more and more aware of in recent months is that we are living in a society which is developing a climate of anxiety and fear. From many conversations I’ve had, from news coverage on television, radio and in the press anxiety about the future seems to be the prevailing mood of our society.

We are nervous about our financial security. Anxious about our pensions, our jobs, our homes. Fearful about the quality of education for our children, about the care of the elderly, feelings of insecurity about the health provision available to us should we become ill or infirm. Fearful even of going into the city at night time. Fearful about the future of planet earth itself.

Uncertainty in our fast changing society has cultivated this fear of what the future might hold. And this is fed by the collapse of trust in some of the old authorities and institutions, whether that be politics, the financial services sector (including the Banks), the Church or the Law. Traditions now don’t seem able to bind our society together. Confidence is undermined. Fear takes a hold.

In this post Easter period, we are reminded again that the first reactions to the resurrection of Jesus were also ones of fear and incredulity. And that’s hardly surprising because the disciples had been through a traumatic time which reached its climax in the crucifixion of their Lord.

All their hopes had vanished and now they were confronted with a wholly new experience. They were in totally uncharted territory. Yet the resurrection transformed that fear into courage, that anxiety into boldness, that nervousness into hope.

It is the Resurrection that faces all the fears of the world and gives us renewed hope. Christians are called to be the transmitters of that hope. For a local church congregation it will mean receiving resurrection inspiration from our faith and worship and then listening to and engaging with the fears of the community in which we live.

Seeking to bring hope and reconciliation where at the moment anxiety and nervousness abounds is vitally important whether it be for a Northumbrian village, a city housing estate or an ex mining village.

We need to put on our resurrection eyes as we walk through the communities in which we live and say “what hope does the resurrection bring here?” How will the anxiety that I hear all around me be diffused? What connections can I make that will provide people with renewed confidence in God and in the future God has for them?

Please remember that Jesus’ resurrection isn’t confined to the garden and the tomb. It takes place in the workplace, in homes and on journeys too. And the Good News is that the incomparable power of God in raising Christ from death, is the same power by which God’s Spirit continues to work in the world. In this we have hope. A sure and certain hope in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.