Walking in the Light of Resurrection and Remembrance

Last Sunday, we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus and signified this new life by the flowering of the cross. It was a beautiful reminder that through Christ’s victory over death, we are invited into a life of hope, renewal, and transformation.

This week, we continue to reflect on the powerful truth of Jesus’ Resurrection and how He appeared to His followers in the days that followed.

After the joy of Easter Sunday, we journey through the next forty days, remembering the risen Christ who walked among His disciples. In the Gospel of John, Jesus appears to His disciples and says, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” Then He breathes on them and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” What a profound moment of commissioning and empowerment!

This week, we also pause to remember ANZAC Day on Friday, 25 April. It’s a time for us as a nation—and as the Church—to honour those who served and sacrificed in times of war, especially the servicemen and servicewomen of our army, navy, and air force. This date marks the landing of New Zealand and Australian troops—the ANZACs—on the Gallipoli Peninsula in 1915. We give thanks and honour their courage and legacy.

I invite you to reflect on this poignant poem, “My Boy Jack” by Rudyard Kipling, which captures the deep sorrow and steadfast pride experienced by many families during wartime:

“Have you news of my boy Jack?”
Not this tide.
“When d’you think that he’ll come back?”
Not with this wind blowing, and this tide.
…
Then hold your head up all the more,
This tide, and every tide;
Because he was the son you bore,
And gave to that wind blowing and that tide!

Let us hold in prayer those who continue to carry the weight of loss, and may we walk in peace, thankful for the freedoms we enjoy today.