Hope in an Uncertain World: An Easter Reflection

It’s been an interesting term, and I don’t mean for our College, I refer to how quickly things have changed in the world from the new year to where we are today!

Who would have predicted the conversations we are having today about the geo-political landscape, war, the rise of new political powers, the rising cost of fuel. In times of uncertainty and challenge, it is not unreasonable to stop and ask, what on earth is going on, this is just a little crazy. Others far wiser than me have written about this recently and looked back through history, when the world has found itself struggling to find a way forward and in this need to find certainty, have followed an often charismatic but extreme ideological leader! Without being too political, there are moments over the recent past where some of these undercurrents have arisen.

As we look forward to the Easter break, for many this is an extended long weekend with chocolate and hot cross buns. For Christians, we reflect on the Easter story as explained to us in the Bible. There is plenty of evidence to support that the man Jesus existed, and there are many who saw the person of Jesus as someone who would swoop in and save the Jewish people from the Roman oppression they were enduring. Jesus was going to be a worldly hero, restoring law and order to a civilisation that had endured so much over hundreds of years. If Jesus was around today, the assumption would be that he would sort out the problems of the government or the ruling power and let us get on with life!

But the story of Easter flipped all these assumptions on their head and is so much more than this. As we shared in our Chapel this week, it is about both hope and forgiveness. Yes, Jesus taught about forgiveness, about turning the other cheek, about loving your neighbour, about leadership by serving others and elevated the importance of women and children. This teaching has influenced so much of what we believe today about what it means to live in a civilised society. However, there was so much more.

We live in a world that is broken and we see it all around us. So, Jesus also spoke of a new world, where things would be made right and this is the hope that Christians have. But to achieve this, something big had to happen. Jesus, who was both a human and also the son of God had to come into the world and repair our broken relationship with God. The price for this was dying on a cross. Yes, this is a tough concept to reconcile, but for me, as a Christian, Easter is that reminder that there is a God whose love for us is so incredible, that this is what had to happen.

I appreciate we all have different world views, but as I approach the next few days, I am so thankful for the opportunity to once again spend time remembering what has been done for us through Jesus and the cross. In an often crazy world, there is certain hope that is available for all.

I wish all our families a wonderful time to rest and reflect.