2017 Easter Message for North-East Archdeaconry

My beloved brothers in Christ,

A Glorious EASTER to one and all!

We praise the Lord for glorious Resurrection of our God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Resurrection is our best news now and forever.

One of the collects for Easter Day says:
“Almighty God, who through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life: Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the day of the Lord's resurrection, may be raised from the death of sin by your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.” Amen.

Resurrection means Rebirth or Revivification. It is coming back to life. Jesus, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, is the only One who has been alive all the time. Temporarily, He laid aside His right to live for three days. He was condemned, crucified to death and buried. This year, some of us journeyed with Jesus in His forty days’ Fast which ended over the weekend. I doubt that any of us fasted forty days and forty nights like Him. There is no doubt that many never gave up one meal through the forty days. Our Lord Jesus took back His life after three days and lives for evermore. Praise the Lord!

It was for human beings, people created in God’s Image, that Jesus suffered and died. He knows that we all deserve equal punishments for our sins. The Word of God says that we all deserve death because the “wages of sin is death” (Rom. 3:23 & 6:23). None of us can carry, pay or die for our individual sins (1 Cor. 15:3). If anyone does, he/she will never come back again to this life. Jesus did it because He is God and ONLY He could do it. However, He did it once and will never do it again.

We also know that all human beings who believe and accept that Jesus died for our own “deliberate” sins are given an awesome opportunity for Rebirth or Revitalization to live and be with Him wherever He is. Through our Baptism, we confirm our union with Him (Rom. 6:1-4). In Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, all Christians, that is, all those who have accepted the vicarious death of Jesus as sufficient to assuage the anger of a Holy God against sin, are now vertically called to be with Christ on the highest Heaven in Spirit (Col.3:1-2). However, the only way this can happen is by individual Christian setting his/her minds on things above where Jesus has gone back to, and no more on this earth.

Easter/Resurrection then means that:

First, there is a powerful hope for humanity. This is what Jesus prayed for (Jn. 17:24). When this transitory world and everything in it passes, we will not pass away with it. All real Believers in Jesus Christ are safe and secure through an eternal promise of God (Jn. 3:16; 6:37)

Second, Easter Resurrection of Jesus Christ takes away all fears of death and hell from the Children of God. We will not perish but will be transformed at the rapture of all believers (1 Cor.15:50-52;).

Thirdly and practically, we should not join the people of the world in their rat-race and greed to possess the world. Since, Jesus rose from the dead with ONLY the clothes He was wearing when He rose from the grave, it is futile and waste of effort to join the prosperity race for millions/billions of dollars with the people of this world. Our treasure is Jesus who is in Heaven now. We must, rather help people to see their misplaced efforts through unbridled witnessing to the fullness of God in Jesus Christ (1 Jn. 2:15-17).

Finally, through the power of the Holy Spirit, Who keeps true Believer holy, all those who have taken spiritual shelter in Jesus Christ must fight the full fight of faith and holiness to eliminate the insidious sins of jealousy, deceit, grudge, hate, cheating, bribery, lies, blackmail, sabotage and all other “deliberate sinister activities lurking in us.” We must, through God’s divine power seek to add greater virtues to our lives such as goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, and brotherly-kindness (2 Pet. 1:5-10). We need to ensure that nothing temporary deprives us of our Vertical call in Jesus Christ.

Ven. Dr. Emeka Nwigwe, ADOTT N.E. Archdeacon