CAPTION: Bishop Jackie filmed her Easter message under a magnolia tree by the Tiverton canal
Bishop Jackie Reflects on the Easter Faith Her Mother Passed Onto Her
The Acting Bishop of Exeter, the Rt. Rev’d Jackie Searle, reflects on the ‘Easter faith’ her mother passed on to her, how this sustains her, and how the new life we see all around us at spring time reminds us of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ which we celebrate at Easter:
Near my home in Tiverton is a glorious magnolia tree, which stands outside the Canal Tea Rooms & Garden. They have just opened after the winter, a sign that spring is here, and that summer is on its way.
On the nearby canal there will soon there be ducklings and cygnets and all the heralds of new life. The magnolia was one of my mother’s absolute favourite trees, and she always enjoyed this time of year when they came into bloom. My mother died over 40 years ago now. She had become ill around Christmas time, and she died in May the next year.
She was a very committed Christian, and in her last spring she was especially conscious of the beauty of the season, but also of the Easter faith that sustained her. At her funeral we sang the great Easter hymn: Thine be the Glory, risen conquering son, endless is the victory, thou over death has won.
Well, on that day it didn’t feel like victory. It was deeply sad. And I could barely sing the words. But in the many years since, it is that Easter faith that she passed on to me that has sustained me through my life and ministry. The faith that Jesus died and rose again. This is what we celebrate at Easter. Jesus himself said: ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live.’ (John 11: 25)
Sometimes people say to me, Christianity is strange. It’s weird. What is this belief that you can come back to life after death, that Jesus rose from the dead? And yet, standing beneath this magnolia tree it’s not so strange, because God made the world and everything in it and woven into the fabric of creation is death, life, new seasons, and resurrection. Just a few weeks ago, this magnolia tree was bare and dormant. It’s been in the most beautiful blossom, and even now you can see the season is changing as it comes into leaf. This is all a part of creation, so we shouldn’t be surprised that God sent Jesus to die and raised him to life.
For us. This is all part of who God is and what God does. This is the thing that gives me hope in life, that Jesus rose from the dead and that our lives are in his hands. However bleak the winter, we know that spring will come, and in our lives, and in death, we can trust in the Lord who leads us into new life.
One of my favourite prayers for Easter has these words: ‘Fill your church with faith and hope; for a new day has dawned and the way to life stands open in our saviour Jesus Christ.’
This is my prayer for Easter; be filled with faith and hope; celebrate well with as much chocolate as you can manage, and with great joy in your hearts because for the way to life stands open. Alleluia. Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia. I wish you all a very happy Easter.
Watch Bishop Jackie’s Easter Message on video:
