Take your fears to the cross: bishop’s Easter message

LCANZ Bishop John Henderson urges members of the church to take our ‘anxiety and fear to the foot of the cross’, whenever we face struggles in the world and within the church.

His words of reassurance that our Saviour, Jesus Christ, ‘takes that load for us’, are part of a Heartland eNews message of encouragement to the LCANZ for Holy Week and Easter.

‘I won’t pretend that everything is well in the world’, Bishop Henderson writes. ‘I won’t even pretend that everything is just as it should be in the church. Everyone has their struggles in this world of upheaval and change, and we are no different. When we refocus all of that, however, and take our anxiety and fear to the foot of the cross, we can be confident that our Saviour also takes that load for us.

‘In recent years, when my call has made me experience the struggles of the church in a very personal way, I have said, “The church isn’t ours to save, it belongs to God”. Therefore, we do not need to be afraid. We can step out confidently knowing that the God who saves is in front, behind, above, below and within us.

‘How do I know that? Because, like St John, I know that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ changes everything. God has acted once and for all for the salvation of the world, and that also means the salvation of each one of us. All we need, then, is to receive the gift of faith, and use it every day to tell the old trio of sin, death, and the devil that they have no hold over us any more. We are Christ’s and he is ours, today and forever.

‘God bless you this Holy Week and at Easter, and may the joy of the resurrection carry you forward into life like a gigantic tidal wave of joyous love.’

You can read the full message here.