Happy Easter to you all: Christ is risen- He is risen indeed, Alleluia! This is the traditional Easter acclamation of Jesus having risen from the dead, used by churches from various traditions and across the world.

I’m starting to write this before Lent has finished, and it makes me reflect on how I have done with my attempts at Lenten discipline. The answer is a mixed one and not totally successful (like most of us I suspect)! But for one thing, I resolved to pray for peace in the troubled places of the world every day, which I have managed to do most days during Lent. I have found that St Martin’s Cathedral in Ypres is a lovely place to sit quietly in contemplation and prayer, and this has been my ‘go to’ place for praying for peace during Lent (and I hope will continue to be so). Of course, you may be thinking ‘why can’t the chaplain pray in St George’s?’ The answer is that I do, early in the morning when I open the church when it’s quiet, but during the day there are sometimes visitors in church! However, for me it is really important that St George’s is prayed in and not just on a Sunday.

It is now the Church’s Easter Season, and Easter Sunday is always a real joy for me to celebrate the wonder, mystery and joy of the risen Lord Jesus and to preside at the Easter Eucharist. This is actually my first Easter here as chaplain of St George’s because, although I arrived on 1st April last year, Easter was on the 31st March! I’m glad to say that we had a good number for the Easter Eucharist in church this year, including quite a number of visitors.

And now for a little bit of theology… The reason it matters so much that Jesus rose from the dead is that we believe that in some wonderful way he not only died for our sins and failings on the cross for each one of us, but God then raised him from the dead, overcoming the power of evil and death and promising us eternal life as a result. Moreover, this also gives us hope that the forces of destruction and sin will not have the final word and love will ultimately triumph. This is the faith of the Church across the world. Although we can’t know what the life hereafter will be like, I believe we can have some little glimpses of what it may be like in this world such as in the beauty of creation and the care of some humans for others, as well as in their willingness to strive (sometimes against the odds) for a better world. We do know that heaven will be in the presence of our loving God- And I suspect will be more wonderful that we can possibly imagine!

We rejoice in the coming of new life in the natural world in the Spring time, when we see what appear to be dead trees and plants ‘springing’ into life. This is the mystery of the natural world and perhaps gives us a glimpse each year of the wonder and new life which will be ours for eternity and which we can already share in.

So let us thank God for the rising from death of his Son, Jesus, and for the joy and hope this gives us. In the meantime and before we experience the mystery and joy of the life hereafter, let us work together to try to build a better world, or in theological language, build the Kingdom of God here on earth as it is in heaven.