Victorian Council of Churches

Rev John Gilmore is the President of the National Council of Churches in Australia. This is his Easter message.

‘He is Risen’

Who has the final word? It is a powerful position to be in, to have the final say. It indicates that there is someone whose authority or view trumps all others and can close the conversation.

In life it often seems like the final word is disappointment, suffering and disillusionment. We live with the realities of disaster, racial and gender violence, war mongering, disempowerment through the actions of others and personal disappointment.  

International powerplays threaten peace and security while creating more and more refugees. At the same time the global economic complexity creates further anxiety and pressure at home. What can we say in the face of all these overwhelming realities?

We can say none of these have the final word. The Christian message at Easter is the final word; ‘life’. Jesus, God fully present, dies with no justice, torture, and cruelty. There is no compassion. Jesus is abandoned by the men who flee and attended to by the women who remain.

Three days later, the borrowed grave is empty, and the testimony of the women and men is a simple and wonderful statement, ‘He is Risen’.

Resurrection is the final word in Christian faith; Jesus lives. Two words and behind them a life transforming affirmation. The final word is life and resurrection. Bringing this perspective to our present realities may not alter them, however, it can change how we see and engage with them.

It is possible to ask, ‘what is the Resurrection perspective here?’ For example, in the clamour of opinions on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, as we make our referendum decision, we can ask how a Resurrection perspective guides us. Do we wait until the moment when every question is resolved – or do we look forward in gracious trust and with fervent hope?

Christians are Resurrection people – this is the final word, and it is one of life.

Rev John Gilmore, President

National Council of Churches in Australia

Click here for the NCCA Church Leaders Easter Messages

Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani? that is, `My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’

The above verse from Matthew 27:46 is the cry of Jesus Christ on the cross moments before his brutal death. As a quotation from Psalm 22: 1, it could be Jesus declaring the Old Testament prophecy, or crying out in absolute anguish, or both. The point to consider here is that Jesus expresses the pain and suffering of his impending death.

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” is the painful cry for many in the world today as they face a variety of sufferings in sickness, poverty, hunger, disasters, injustices, abuse and death. This is the cry of displaced people, refugees on the move, abused women and children, indigenous people, people with disabilities, the neglected, oppressed and downtrodden. Their plights are so unbearable that they often think that governments, friends, family and even God has abandoned them. In private and in public, in silence and aloud, they cry for help!

The world is in such a mess today as we reflect on the violence, conflicts, wars, corruption, political turmoil, economic injustices, climate emergency, and the list goes on. In such a context, some are prone to ask, “Where is God?” The thoughts of abandonment and despair are not far from our minds and hearts, even if it makes us uncomfortable to think like this.

Jesus gave up his last breath and died, but he rose again from the dead. In Christ is our hope and life. Our hope is not centred in some sentimental experience but in the deep realisation that hope, like faith and love, are eschatological gifts. Gifts that God gives us to overcome the present and to see the future in the midst of chaos, conflict and the feeling of being forsaken. Gifts that remind us that darkness, despair and death are not the end. Light, hope and life are within reach because the Risen Lord overcomes all things. The Apostle Paul tells us this most powerfully in Romans 8: 37-39 where he declares, “in all things we are more than conquerors through Christ who loved us”, therefore nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Thus, when we are tempted in the midst of brokenness, pain, suffering, wars and death to ask why God has forsaken us, let us stop and be assured that in Christ, the Father makes all things new! In the midst of trials, turmoil and tribulations let us be reminded that in the power of the resurrection God is present with us in all things, through all things and at all times.

This assurance then must, instead of making us feel forsaken, stir and steer us into becoming agents and instruments of hope and light to the world. It should give us the energy and desire to continue to work toward God`s justice, peace, reconciliation and unity, enabling a better world for all creation!

Whenever we are tempted to cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” let us know Emmanuel – God is with us forever!

Have a blessed and hope-filling Easter!

Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay General Secretary
World Council of Churches

Watching the news one morning, the reader said, “Freedom isn’t free, it costs”, and how true that statement is.

Think of Wilberforce, Rosa Parkes, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jnr, Dorothy Height, Malala Yousafzai…and the list could go on.

Freedom is not free….it costs.

It cost everything for Jesus….a painful death on a cross, in order to secure our freedom.

Freedom from anything that might bind us up.

Freedom through the cross. A most beautiful exchange.

Freedom to live, for Him and like Him.

In these days, He continues to call us to….

1. Get free…. free from the sin that so easily enslaves. Free from anything that holds us back. Free from the thoughts that hold us. Freedom from anything that is not of Him.
2. Keep free. There was a warning for the Galatians. “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified”. Live in this big Gospel. Do not believe the lies of the evil one. Keep free.
3. Get someone else free. So many people need Jesus. The world needs Jesus. And that freedom could be salvation, it could mean that God has called you to make a stand on human trafficking, or for women who are oppressed, for children, for civil rights, for those abused. People need freedom. People need Jesus.

We do not need to be concerned about our reputation. We live like and for Jesus. And the great news is that He rose again. His Spirit is in us, with us, for us.

Freedom is not free. It costs.

Thank you, Jesus, for the price you paid. Thank you for the freedom you secured. May we live free in these days and see the salvation and transformation of your world.

Commissioner Miriam Gluyas, Territorial Leader

The Salvation Army, Australia   

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Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)

Easter is a time of contrasts. The extreme suffering, cruelty and sadness of the crucifixion is transformed in a few days to the joy and renewal associated with the Resurrection.

How often is this the case? Easter is a reminder that in the grimmest of times we can be hopeful that the ocean of Light will overtake the ocean of darkness, that our love will cast out fear and that we are free, like Jesus, to do what we can to build a better world. 

Bruce Henry, Presiding Clerk

Religious Society of Friends in Australia (Quakers)

 (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia)

“If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (1 Cor. 15:17) 

Christ is Risen; Truly He is Risen

Our Lord and God Jesus Christ exclaims: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies. And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26).

We live in an increasingly secularized and religiously indifferent world. The notions of ‘faith’ and ‘religion’ no longer possess importance or centrality in the fabric of society, but rather have been relegated to personal subjective belief. Indeed, rational reasoning has always been the stronger intellectual trait of the human person, and doubt, springing forth from the inability to transcend the limitations of rationalism, has served as an obstacle for the human person to perceive and acknowledge the eternal truth of God.

The resurrection of Christ, precisely as both reality and mystery, emphatically and unequivocally, defies the limitations of human logic, transcends what is earthly, temporal, and corruptible, and existentially and spiritually raises us up to what is heavenly, eternal, and incorruptible. In and through the entire divine-human dispensation, the passion and death on the cross, and the resurrection from the dead, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ recreates, refashions, and renews the human person according to the measure of His fullness (Eph. 4:13) It is to this “newness of life” (Rom. 6:4) that we are called to embrace with all our heart in faith and love, because this leads to the fullness of true life, which was established “before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4).

Today, the Church proclaims with joy “Christ is risen!” for a new reality has been inaugurated – “the kingdom of God is at hand” (Mark 1:15)- indeed, the kingdom of God is ‘within us’ (Luke 17:21). Christ has “overcome the world” (John 16:33) and gathers “all things together in heaven and on earth” (Eph. 1:10) and calls each one of us to embrace and to be embraced by His absolute and boundless love. Let us therefore strive for true faith and genuine love for Christ, fulfilling His life-giving commandments, that we may be made worthy to receive the abundance of divine blessings and become partakers of the fullness of true life and joy, which are in Christ. In response to the question posed by Christ to each of us “Do you believe this?”, may we exclaim with all our heart, soul, mind and strength: “Lord, I believe” (John 9:38).

Wishing all a blessed and joyous Easter, I remain,

His Eminence, Archbishop Makarios, Primate,

Greek Orthodox Church of Australia 

“May Your right hand oh Mighty God be upon us during these joyous times as we celebrate the triumphant resurrection of Your beloved Son Jesus Christ.

Grant us where there is hatred, may we show His love; where there is war, may we be peacemakers; where there is corruption, may we show His truthfulness and where there is pride, may we show the humility He showed during His passion.

May He bring us out of the tomb of oppression to His glory and ever lasting peace of His kingdom.

He is Risen.”

Archbishop Mar Meelis Zaia, Metropolitan 

Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East

Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese 

of Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines

Christian faith is established and based on Resurrection. The suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross was the pathway to Resurrection. Suffering was the way to destroy every stain we had because of the sin. With His suffering He restored the human nature, and He brought it back to its pristine beauty. The fullness was with His Resurrection “trembling down death by (His) death.” Passing through His crucifixion, we preach the resurrected Lord.

What our Lord Jesus Christ did, is for our sake, and He is still offering us His salvation. He comforted our hearts by saying: “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” says the Lord (John 16: 33). It is the aim of His Incarnation, Crucifixion and Resurrection.

God became man to “wipe away every tear from their (our) eyes; there shall be no more death, nor crying, nor pain, for the former things have passed” (Revelation 21: 4).

May the Resurrected Lord grant you all a healthy and peaceful life crowned with faith and peace of mind and soul. Amen.

His Eminence, Metropolitan Basilios, Archbishop

Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines

An ecumenical event, ‘Work and Wellbeing – 8 hours more or less‘ is being planned for 21^st April. It is an event of significance and may serve as a catalyst for community conversation and advocacy on work/life balance. This is an initiative of the Victorian Council of Churches and partners. 

Background

The 8 hour day monument (corner Victoria and Russell Streets) commemorates the 8 Hours Movement which was initiated in Victoria in 1856. The Eight Hour Day was a campaign that brought about one of the most important changes to the rights of workers, seeking an eight hour day on the basis of eight hours work, eight hours for rest, and eight hours for recreation and education. On 26th February 1856, James Galloway convinced a meeting of employers and employees to begin implementing the 8 hour day. On 1856 on April 21st, Victorian Stonemasons staged a well-organised and executed protest. They had been working on the construction of the Old Quadrangle Building, the original site of Melbourne University, when they all downed their tools and proceeded to march on to Parliament House along with other members of the building trade. During the march held in Melbourne, those attending the protest carried banners that held the symbol of three figure 8’s. The intertwined numbers ‘888’ represented the ideal that the workers were fighting for – “8 Hours Work, 8 Hours Recreation, 8 Hours Rest”.

Work and Well-Being 2023
The issues around work in our current context remain significant – un/under employment and over-employment; casualisation of work force; insecure work; less staff expected to do more; people holding multiple jobs just to pay the household bills; etc. Now is the time to have a discussion about the contemporary meaning and place of work in human lives, including work and human dignity, the gendered nature of work, and how growing levels of insecure work impact workers and families. It is noted that the Federal Treasurer, Dr Jim Chalmers, has identified well-being as a core focus for the Federal budget. 

Event details
Date: Friday 21^st April 2023
Venue: Village Roadshow Theatrette, State Library of Victoria (La Trobe St entrance)

Time: 11am-12 noon
Cost: Free 
Registration: Humanitix

Online flyer

Speakers: 

• Nicholas Reece, Deputy Lord Mayor Melbourne
• Dr Mark Zirnsak, Social Justice Advocate for the Uniting Church (Vic/Tas)
• Patty Kinnersly, CEO of Our Watch
• Emma Dawson, Executive Director of Per Capita
• Dr Jeff Sparrow, Centre for Advancing Journalism, University of Melbourne

This will be followed by a walk to the 8-8-8 Monument (corner of Victoria and Russell Streets), commencing at 12 noon, with further brief speeches at the Monument, including Prof Sean Scalmer who is working on a history of the struggle over working time, from the eight-hour day to the four-day week. It is anticipated a Union representative will also be present at the Monument and will be able to offer a brief speech. 

The event will conclude by 12.30pm. 

Bishop Mykola Bychok (Ukrainian Catholic Church) was one of the 3 faith leaders invited to speak at the Palm Sunday Walk for Refugees on Sunday April 2nd. He was accompanied by Rev Dc Michael Zylan. Bishop Bychok’s speech is below.

Today for me it is a great honour to be with you, to support you and to share with you the pain of my native country Ukraine. Ukrainians are well aware of the fate of emigrants and refugees. For more than 130 years, a large number of our people have emigrated to Brazil and Argentina, then to Canada and the USA, and after the Second World War to Australia and the countries of Western Europe.

Today’s migration of Ukrainians is the genocide of our nation. In just one year of the terrible war, 16 million people left their homes: 8 million internally displaced persons and 8 million displaced around the world. We all know that the fate of a refugee or emigrant is not easy, but on the contrary, it is very difficult and tragic. Saving their lives, they are looking for a better fate for themselves, but they find humiliation, helplessness and sometimes the end of their lives outside their native land. A similar fate is common to many peoples, not only Ukrainian. It is frightening to think, but the Mediterranean Sea becomes a cemetery for about 10,000 refugees from poor African countries every year.

Let us pray and support the nation of Ukraine, as well as Iran, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Syria and Ethiopia, who left their homes due to war or political persecution. Let us remember that the first refugee was Jesus Christ, who was persecuted by King Herod. His parents, the Holy Mother of God and St. Joseph, fled from Bethlehem to Egypt to save his life. May the same Lord bless and help all refugees in Australia and around the world!

(faith leaders including UCA President Sharon Hollis at an Iftar dinner with Muslim friends)

Some will have received a formal invite to an Iftar (‘breaking of the fast’) meal. If you’d like to join with your Muslim neighbours in an Iftar meal, contact the mosque in your area or talk to Muslim friends.

The information below (adapted from an online article by Saeed Ahmed) provides a guide to non-Muslims about Ramadan and Iftar meals.

There are about 8 billion people in the world. And about a quarter of them are fasting from sunup to sundown. Every day. For an entire month. It’s Ramadan, the holiest month of the Muslim calendar. In 2023, it runs from March 22 to April 21.

Ramadan isn’t like Christmas, as in everyone knows exactly when it’ll fall. It bounces around, because the Islamic calendar is lunar. When it begins depends on when the new moon is seen. That’s why the precise dates change from year to year.

But what if you’re not a Muslim – just a caring, considerate person. Is there anything you should do so you don’t come across as insensitive to your fasting friends during Ramadan?

Short answer: No. Long answer: No. Here’s some tips…

1. You can totally eat in front of Muslim people …
   For the 30 days of Ramadan, Muslims around the world will abstain from eating and drinking during daylight hours. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t carry on business as usual.
   (… but try not to schedule a work lunch)
   Muslim people can’t drink, not even water, during daylight hours, so don’t invite people to join you for a cuppa during the day (but a walk would be fine).
   
2. You don’t have to fast … (You can if you want – fasting is also part of our Christian/Lenten tradition)

3. … but you can join the Muslim community in your area for Iftar, the breaking of the fast after sundown. It is a big communal meal. You would be a welcome guest.
   
4. You can say ‘Ramadan Mubarak’ … (it means “Happy Ramadan”). Muslim people will appreciate the thoughtfulness.
   
5. … please don’t say, ‘I should fast, too. I need to lose weight’. Ramadan’s not about that.
   
   Other reading of interest
   Making room for the divine: Our journey through Ramadan with Susan Carland and Saara Sabbagh on ABC (and links to other related articles).