We are called to be ‘agents of hope, delight and joy’ this Easter, said Bishop Nick in his Easter message to the diocese.
Bishop Nick has spoken in his message about how the pain and then the joy of Easter shows us the way to meet the difficult challenges of today in our world.
The full message can be read and watched below.
“One of my favourite musicians is a Canadian singer songwriter called Bruce Coburn, and he wrote a song once called Don't Forget About Delight. And in this song, he's basically saying, look, we get easily bowed down by loads and loads of stuff and all the negative stuff around us.
“And it's the line of that song that came to me when thinking about Easter.
“Because before we can get to Resurrection, we have to go through the denial, the betrayal world turned upside down, crucifixion, the emptiness of Saturday. And then we come to resurrection, which isn't the end. It's a new beginning of a new way of living.
“And we've been through in the last few years some quite difficult stuff. Many people know there are challenges ahead. They don't disappear.
“But Easter speaks to us of the reality of a new beginning, not an ending to problems, but God among us, redeeming what is there even what has gone wrong.
“So, this Easter, I want to encourage us all to be agents and articulators of hope, of delight, of joy.
“Because remember Christmas, only a few weeks ago, we learned and we heard that gospel line that the light has come into the world and the darkness has not overcome it. And the darkness will not overcome it.
“At Easter, we see the evidence. Even out of death comes new life. And out of new life comes new hope.
“That is what I hope we will preach, and we will live out and share together in the Diocese of Leeds and beyond this Easter.
“Happy Easter when we get there. But we'll walk the journey together.”