Each week can seem a tough week at the moment… #london #stockholm #dortmund and when I speak to members and friends each has a story to tell about their experiences or the effect of such senseless action. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of those who have been affected in many different ways.
As Christians, we mark Easter as a time of hope and renewal and this week, more than ever, we are reminded that love will triumph over hate, that fear will be covered by hope and that life triumphs over death, a time where we see how death is not the final word but that we have a promise of resurrection. That hope can help us as we deal with the fear and precariousness we can feel today, that hope can shape our relationships with each other, regardless of background or identity, that hope can be seen as diaconal organisations provide care and support that is both transformative and reconciling.
It could be easy to see everything as tough at the moment but actually, there is so much more that is positive – the solidarity shown by people to each other, the projects and actions carried out in local communities to develop conviviality and solidarity, the continuing presence of diaconal organisations alongside some of the most vulnerable in our societies. These are all signs of hope, all signs that in among the dark there is actually much more light.
Whatever you may believe, may you have hope this Easter, and know that love will always triumph over hate: ‘death has been swallowed up in victory‘ 1 Corinthians 15:84
Wishing you a hopeful Easter,
Heather