Archbishop of York's Easter message: 'There is always hope '

Easter Baptisms

Yesterday I stood waist deep in an open-air pool in the middle of York, where I baptised those who newly confessed that Jesus is the Lord of their lives. These people will join the majority in this country for whom today is a day of celebration and joy.

Such celebrations are in sharp contrast to the daily news of redundancies, home repossessions, debt and a deep global recession which has created an uncertain present and future climate.

We are told it will get deeper - that things must get worse before they get better. For every job lost, there is a story of individual hardship and of families in desperate need. Their struggle must be ours.

Now is the time for active solidarity. At times such as these it does not do to welcome hardship as a necessary corrective to excess.

The words of politicians from the past who suggested that "if it isn't hurting, it isn't working" could only have been spoken by someone who was not hurting. After all, the person wearing the shoes knows where the shoe is pinching! This is also not just about economics. We need a deeper vision. A political vision alone won't do it.

It is not about what governments can do for us but what we can all do. This vision depends on our commitment to an inclusive and generous friendship, where each person is affirmed as of infinite worth, dignity and influence.

Such appeals to the common good are not exclusively a call to Christians.

Rather they urge us all to reflect on the broad questions concerning the kind of society we want to be, and how we are to achieve that. They challenge us to view ourselves as members of the same community while respecting and valuing the freedom of individuals to pursue their own goals, and to further the true values which we share.

The question we must all face and answer is: in what do I place my hope? I recently spoke with Peter Lawrence, the father of Claudia Lawrence. She has been missing from her home town, York, since March 18. When I asked Peter if there was anything I could do for him, his answer was simple: "Pray."

Our prayers for Claudia's safety, for those leading the investigation into her disappearance and for her to be reunited with her family have been joined by many people throughout Yorkshire and beyond who are sharing a collective hope that Claudia has not come to harm.

The message of Easter is that there is always hope. Supported in prayer and practical wisdom, communities can make a real difference in providing hope for a better future for those who seek relief from what can be an overwhelming sense of loss through grief, redundancy, fear and anxiety.

The reality of the resurrection is not just a personal encounter - it's also an opportunity for us to share in each others' burdens. The open-air baptisms were a public sign of commitment to a new way of life. It's a brave step to take, especially outdoors in a Yorkshire spring!

God is at work in our nation today quite beyond the limits of our budgets, structures and expectation. The Good News of God's love affair with humanity has the power to transform our individual and collective lives, our families, our communities and our nation.

I hope that you find Easter to be a celebration of life. After all, it is God's invitation for us to choose an exciting new life that risks and that gives.

To read the article at The Sunday Mirror