09.04.2009
Archbishop Urges Christians to Lead a Life of Hope when All Around the Prophets of Despair Abound
In his Easter Sunday Sermon at 11am Eucharist in Christ Church Cathedral, the Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Revd Dr John Neill said that the resurrection of Jesus "is a challenge, not of despair but of hope - a living hope - a hope by which to live."
The Archbishop continued, "In the extraordinary event that is Easter, the way of Jesus of Nazareth which is itself counter-culture is gloriously vindicated. This way of forgiveness in place of retribution, love for others in place of selfishness, serving rather than being served, laying down of life to find a richer fuller life, suddenly takes on a new reality. This is God’s way of living in God’s world." A way of life "moulded by the risen Christ" he said "brings hope when all around the prophets of despair abound."
Describing such hope as "as dramatic as rebirth – a new way of seeing the world, a new way of seeing our own lives" he added, "It is a great joy to see that already in many places, people whose lives have been brought to new life through the resurrection of Jesus are looking for ways to bring hope to those feeling at first hand the weight of our present economic crisis. It is no longer possible to afford credibility to the selfishness that lay close to the heart of those boom times – this is a time for giving, serving, loving, giving indeed without hope of any return – catching something of the spirit of Jesus."
He concluded, "The resurrection is God’s offer of hope whenever we have lost our way."
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The Most Revd Dr John Neill,
Archbishop of Dublin
Christ Church Cathedral
“God has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading…..” (1 Peter 1:3-4)
There is very little in today’s Ireland or indeed in today’s world, that can be labelled imperishable, undefiled or unfading. These last few months have seen the foundations of society, certainly of western society, shaken to the core. The property bubble began to burst, the financial institutions seemed to tremble, and very soon everything seemed to be in freefall. The old “reliables”, the old certainties, and the trusted securities, are no longer reliable, certain or secure. When everything is shaken to the foundations, we are all driven to ask whether there are any foundations there at all. We are naturally sceptical about quick recovery, and such scepticism is perhaps itself a negative force.
At our deepest, most of us would want to build our lives on what is reliable, certain and secure. When all around begins to collapse at an alarming rate, we must surely begin to ask what can life be built upon – what makes sense of this crazy world in the end?
The Easter claim as written to some early Christians in the first letter of Saint Peter puts it like this: “God has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading…..”
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is God’s challenge to a society that has lost all meaning and direction – and a society that has lost a grip on its ethical foundations. The resurrection was precisely this in first century Palestine, and it is precisely this in twenty-first century Europe and beyond. It is a challenge not of despair, but of hope – a living hope – a hope by which to live. It is hope that can give us the power to live; it is hope that really makes a difference.
The resurrection stands in all its glory over against the violence of Good Friday, the hatred of a crowd baying for blood, the emptiness of a celebrity culture built around Barabbas the criminal, the vacillations of self-seeking political forces, the despair of the closest friends of the crucified one – the resurrection is God’s gift of new life where the human answer is failure, death and destruction.
In the extraordinary event that is Easter, the way of Jesus of Nazareth which is itself counter-culture is gloriously vindicated. This way of forgiveness in place of retribution, love for others in place of selfishness, serving rather than being served, laying down of life to find a richer fuller life, suddenly takes on a new reality. This is God’s way of living in God’s world. Christ Jesus emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, and became obedient to death, even death on a cross – “Wherefore God has highly exalted him, and given him a name that is above every name”.
Recently, I spoke to a person who had experienced at first hand, like many others, the present financial downtown, and she made a very telling comment to me – “I have begun to notice that people are being just that bit nicer to each other!” This is a reminder that at the height of “the Celtic Tiger”, there was little time for the weak, little concern for the poor, and everything was build on success, expansion, growth – and “if you couldn’t stand the heat, keep out of the kitchen”.
The way of Jesus of Nazareth as he lived it in Galilee and in Jerusalem was extraordinary in the eyes of the powerful, of the most legalistic and the most grasping. It is the way that is the most human of all – it is centred on other people – on serving others, on bringing healing to the broken, on reaching out to those with very special needs, on noticing the one who cannot keep up with the rest of life. This is the way that in the resurrection receives God’s resounding “Yes”.
“God has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading…..” A life linked to the Risen Christ, a way of life moulded by the Risen Christ – is a life that brings hope when all around the prophets of despair abound! Never perhaps did this good news, this gospel, need to be heard more, or lived more by all of us.
Such hope is indeed as dramatic as rebirth – a new way of seeing the world, a new way of seeing our own lives – as lives lived to the full relying on God’s power, and God’s love – an inheritance which is no less than imperishable and unfading.
One of the special things about the appearances of the Risen Jesus to the disciples was that it was usually as they were together – and it remains true that the joy of the resurrection is realised as more and more people translate the hope that is at the heart of Easter into the way that they live and reach out to others – it is not a mere academic hope – it is a hope by which to live, it is a hope to be lived – a living hope. It is a hope realised as we retreat from the selfishness, the self-centredness of those years of plenty, and with others begin to grasp the real values.
It is a great joy to see that already in many places, people whose lives have been brought to new life through the resurrection of Jesus are looking for ways to bring hope to those feeling at first hand the weight of our present economic crisis. It is no longer possible to afford credibility to the selfishness that lay close to the heart of those boom times – this is a time for giving, serving, loving, giving indeed without hope of any return – catching something of the spirit of Jesus.
Jesus Christ is risen from the dead – and this message which brought wonder and joy to the first disciples, is far more than a lovely story. The resurrection is God’s offer of hope whenever we have lost our way – “a new birth into a living hope”. This is the joyful news for today. “Christ is risen” – “The Lord is risen indeed”