Personal messages of love, Jesus, coronations and retirement by our Bishops at Easter
As Easter approaches, the Bishops from across the region have looked at the subjects that matter to them as part of their Easter messages.
With the Dioceses of Lichfield and Worcester covering such vast areas of the region, from the borders of Wales to the edges of Staffordshire, each message carries a different and personal theme from the Bishops.
While each message holds the theme of Easter and the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, there are also themes of coronations, Artificial Intelligence, retirement and the effects of war on civilisation.
The Bishop of Lichfield, Right Reverend Dr Michael Ipgrave, spoke about the upcoming coronation of King Charles III and offered a prayer for the new monarch, asking him to see God's Kingdom set free on Earth:
"For the first time in most of our lifetimes, Easter this year will be celebrated with a king on the throne of our country.
"Not only that, but on the twenty-eighth day of the fifty days of Easter (Saturday, May 6) His Majesty King Charles III will be crowned as monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
"During the coming four weeks, I hope that people across our country will be praying for King Charles as he prepares for that great event.
"We do not as yet know the exact wording of the Coronation service, but we can be sure that, as has been the case through the centuries of our history, it will make clear that the King’s authority, great as it is, is subject to the higher authority of God the ruler of all.
"When Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in 1953, the Archbishop delivered to her the Orb (a golden sphere representing the world on which a cross is mounted), and spoke these words: ‘Receive this orb set under the cross and remember that the whole world is subject to the power and empire of Christ our Redeemer.’
"The resurrection of Jesus Christ, which his people joyfully celebrate at Easter, is the story of the vindication of one who exercised the greatest authority through the humblest of service.
"As such, it sets the best possible pattern for Charles our King at the outset of his reign.
"But it also speaks to all in our world and our society who are called to govern, to show leadership, to shape public opinion, to influence others.
"Too often our reality is otherwise: we see those in power trying to crush oppression, to silence dissent, or to attack those whose views differ from theirs.
"However, Easter shows us that the final triumph lies with one who followed a very different way – the way of the cross, the way of service, humility and love.
"This is a lesson which we need to learn again in every generation, and this prayer from the Church of England repeats it on behalf of our monarch and us all:
‘Sovereign God, who called King Charles to be a ruler among his people: give him grace to be their servant; and help us, following our Saviour Christ in the path of humble service, to see God’s kingdom set forward on earth and to enjoy its fulness in heaven; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.’
The Bishop of Worcester, Right Reverend Dr John Inge, said that a pilgrimage to the Holy Land had made him think about how Jesus would view the state of Jerusalem today, while also asking people t spread Christian hope in the face of terror and war:
"I have recently returned from leading a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
"While there we visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, which was built in the year 327 on the spot where Jesus was crucified and where he rose from the dead. It’s a deeply evocative place.
"The Bible tells us that Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem when he saw the shape that it was in.
"Tragically, it's just as bad, if not worse, now - it is still a battleground.
"And yet, it is because of what happened in that city all those years ago that we can have hope.
"As Christians we know that, through the resurrection, which we celebrate again this Easter, Christ is risen from the dead and that in doing so has conquered all that is evil, all that is painful and death itself.
"So we can go through this world rejoicing with Christian hope, able to confront the terrors of the situation that exists in the Holy Land and others across the world, in Ukraine and elsewhere.
"We can do so in our own communities seeking to spread hope through our faith in the resurrection of Jesus.
"Christ is risen! Happy Easter!"
The Bishop of Stafford, Right Reverend Matthew Parker, took a more unique approach to talking about Easter, showing his work with Artificial Intelligence and the message it created, and speaking of how the message of Easter had got lost through familiarity and cliche:
"As we approach Easter Sunday, I wanted to extend my warmest wishes to all of you.
"This is a time of great significance for Christians all around the world, as we remember and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
"Easter is a time for renewal and hope, a time to reflect on the sacrifice that Christ made for us and the love that He has for each and every one of us.
"In this year of challenges and change, let us hold on to the hope and promise that Easter brings.
"May it be a time of healing, forgiveness, and reconciliation, and a time to renew our commitment to serve others and to spread the love of Christ throughout our communities.
"……except this is not my Easter message. In common with many, I have been experimenting with ChatGPT.
"Struggling to find the right words, I enlisted the help of Artificial Intelligence to generate some ideas for me.
"This what it came up with and it’s fine; there is nothing wrong with it and nothing to object to.
"And that’s the problem. Trawling the internet, the Chatbot has assembled a collection of generic and inoffensive phrases that no doubt bear an uncomfortable similarity to some of sermons that I have preached about Easter over the years.
"Through familiarity, we risk reducing the great drama of death and resurrection to platitudes and tired cliches and we lose the sense that this might actually change our lives.
"ChatGPT knows nothing of the poetry, particularity and power of Easter.
"It knows nothing of the terror and shame and dread of the cross. It cannot speak of the awe of a world utterly reframed by that first Easter Day nor of that bewildered sense of joy in the face of the unimaginable. Christ is risen from the dead!
"Easter is meant to knock us of our feet; take our breath away. Easter is not worthy sentiments; it is the power of God to transform our hearts and lives.
"Accept no Artificial alternatives!
"Let’s be troubled, thrilled, delighted, shocked, overwhelmed and challenged by the message of Easter, generated not in cyberspace but by the heart-stopping love of God revealed in the One who died and rose again for our sake."
For the Bishop of Wolverhampton, Right Reverend Clive Gregory, the Easter message would be his last in the role as he gets set to retire, and he spoke about moving house and the struggles of those forced to leave their homes with nothing and how Easter should be about celebrating humanity:
"As I prepare to retire, so we are also preparing to move house.
"It’s well known that moving is one of the most stressful experiences in life and surely one of the reasons is the emotional toll of leaving behind so much that is familiar.
"In our case we are radically downsizing, so we have had to jettison all manner of things we have been sentimentally attached to.
"But what is getting us through, and this must be true of many house movers, is the prospect of the exciting future ahead.
"It’s a trade off between leaving the known and the loved in order to discover the new and exciting.
"It feels tough at the moment but there’s every prospect of it feeling very good further down the line.
"This process we are going through has caused me to reflect on just how much harder it must be for those who are forced to leave their homes, fleeing war, terror and persecution and doing so not with any great prospect of a better future anywhere else, but simply out of desperation.
"The desperation that leads you into the clutches of people traffickers, or being passed from hostile country to hostile country because no one wants another digit on their immigration statistics, regardless of whether you are a skilled worker who could ultimately be a great blessing to their ageing workface …..
"In recent months, I have visited many churches, including in Wolverhampton, where asylum seekers have been warmly welcomed into church congregations and where they are contributing greatly to the churches’ life and activities.
"During my time as Bishop, I have been moved by hearing the stories of many who have fled persecution in countries such as Iran and Afghanistan.
"How impoverished we will be, as churches and as a society, if in future they are marooned on ships offshore or detained in camps.
"How impoverished our humanity will be, through not having the chance to show simple human kindness to those in situations far more desperate than we will ever be.
"The Christian belief in the resurrection is centred not only on Jesus’ rising from the dead, but that he rose in physical form, so that his disciples recognised him afterwards.
"Christianity is an incarnational religion.
"In taking the physical form of a man, before and after his death, Jesus demonstrated the importance to God of all that makes us human. And through his life of love and compassion, lived in service to others, Jesus showed us what true humanity looks like.
"The best way to celebrate Easter is to find ways to share the gift from God, which is our humanity."
The Bishop of Dudley, Right Reverend Martin Gorick, also looked at war and fear as part of his message, saying that fear and anxiety are normal and to remember that peace is part of Easter:
"On Easter morning, Christians will say: Alleluia, Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed. Alleluia!
"It is the cry of joy as we celebrate Jesus rising from the grave. As we celebrate that fear, death, anxiety and pain will never have the last word. In the end God’s love is stronger, and the love of God will prevail.
"When the women disciples found the tomb empty on the first Easter day, we are told they went to share the news, ‘afraid, ‘but filled with joy.’
"It’s easy for us to be afraid: The cost-of-living is soaring alongside war in Ukraine and the climate crisis; the list goes on and on. Fear and anxiety are a natural part of being human.
"But as Easter people, as Christians, we know that beyond all these things lies the risen Lord Jesus, reaching out to us and saying ‘Peace be with you.’
"Jesus reaches out to our broken and scarred world with hands still bearing the marks of the nails and says: ‘Do not be afraid, for all authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. And behold I am with you always, even to the end of time.’
"It’s OK to admit to doubt, OK to say we are fearful and anxious, but these should never have the last word. Afraid we may be, but ‘filled with Joy!’
"Alleluia, Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed. Alleluia!"
