CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), shares an Easter message
with the 4.2 million members of this church. The full text of the
presiding bishop's message follows:
Christ is risen! Imagine the power in those words of promise.
When the disciples first heard Jesus speak of his death and
resurrection, "they kept the matter to themselves" (Mark 9:10). But the
news is too good to keep to ourselves. The life of Jesus Christ has been
unleashed into the world.
Because Christ is risen, you can embrace life's complexities and
uncertainties with a living, daring confidence in God's grace. The risen
Christ goes ahead of you, meeting you in the most surprising faces and
unexpected places. Christ's resurrection puts us right where God wants us
to be -- in the thick of life.
Because Christ is risen, you have a word of hope. To those weary from
mourning loss and fearing death, the assurance is given that nothing in
all creation will separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
The life of Jesus, God's own life, has burst into the world, restoring
community. At the barriers we erect to divide us, the risen Christ meets
us, turning those walls into tables of reconciliation. To those who live
in fear and feel unworthy, the promise is given. "You are no longer
strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also
members of the household of God" (Ephesians 2:19).
Every morning you awaken with the mark of Jesus' death on your forehead
and the promise of Christ's resurrection on your lips.
Christ is risen! Alleluia!
In God's grace,
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
