"Jesus laid down his life so that we might go free, not to live for ourselves, but to help build a better and more just world..."
Recorded onsite at the recent opening of the new Rochester Riverside Church of England Primary School, Bishop Jonathan has shared his message for Easter.
The opening of the new school is a story of transformation and new life in that part of Rochester.
In his message, Bishop Jonathan contrasts it with the horrors being faced by children in Gaza, Ukraine, and countless other places torn apart by war.
"Our Christian faith requires that we should do all we can to resist the powers of death and destruction, including by calling the world’s leaders to the path of justice and peace."
He reminds us that the message of Good Friday and Easter is that victory over death has happened once and for all through Jesus Christ and is possible even in the darkest places of our world.
Read his message in full below or watch (captions available).
Bishop Jonathan’s Easter Message
I am recording this message at the brand-new Rochester Riverside Church of England Primary School, whose official opening we have been celebrating today.
It has been fabulous to see the school’s wonderful facilities and to meet some of the staff, parents and children who are beginning to create a whole new community of learning right in the heart of this historic city – right at the heart of what used to be a busy commercial district, buzzing with ships being unloaded, and fruit and veg being put onto trains and lorries destined for London and beyond.
The opening of our new school is a story of transformation and new life in this part of Rochester, and it is marvellous that the Church of England is at the heart of this, as part of our commitment to the flourishing of our communities right across Medway, Kent, Bromley and Bexley.
What a contrast this is, however, with the horrors faced by children in Gaza, in Ukraine, in Yemen and Sudan, and in countless other places torn apart by war. There, children are no longer able to learn and grow in peace and security.
Instead, they hide in shelters, uncertain when the next rockets will fall on their neighbourhoods, whether their homes will still exist by that evening, or whether there will be food and water for them that day or the next.
The kind of destruction that we see at the moment in Gaza, as well as in other places that have slipped off our TV screens, is an affront to our longing for justice and our desire for children everywhere to be able to grow and learn in peace.
Our Christian faith requires that we should do all we can to resist the powers of death and destruction, including by calling the world’s leaders to the path of justice and peace. The message of Good Friday and Easter is that victory over death has happened once and for all through Jesus Christ and is possible even in the darkest places of our world.
Jesus laid down his life so that we might go free, not to live for ourselves, but to help build a better and more just world, and to help others discover for themselves the transforming power of God at work in them and through them.
It is not enough for us simply to rejoice and give thanks for Jesus’ resurrection from the grave at Easter. We also need to play our part in bringing to others the good news of Jesus’ amazing victory over death, and in reshaping our world by challenging injustice and by seeking to rebuild what has been lost.
These words are a powerful, revolutionary statement – and they should draw from us an equally powerful response:
Alleluia! Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia
The Rt Rev Dr Jonathan Gibbs
The Bishop of Rochester
March 2024