Diocesan News22 Apr 11

Easter Message 2011 from The Rt Revd Harold Miller, Bishop of Down and Dromore

 
What does it mean for Easter to appear so close to the Assembly elections this year? It is, in my view, an opportunity to ask ourselves what the world would look like if God’s kingdom was fully present on earth. How would it be if the risen Christ was Lord in this province?
 
Well, we would probably realize first that our central allegiance is to God, and not to any particular political or cultural group. Not that there’s anything wrong with different political perspectives or cultural norms. They can be good. But there is a higher allegiance for Christians. Anything else is secondary.
 
We would also focus on the things that make for peace. ‘Peace be with you’ were some of the first words of the risen Christ. Reconciliation, forgiveness and peace are some of the keys to the future in Northern Ireland. Those things don’t change. They just have to be lived, and lived at great cost.
 
We would also create a society where the voices of the poor, and the poor in spirit, are heard above those of the powerful. The people most like Jesus on the cross would be cared for: victims, the abused, those who are bullied and mocked, those who are penniless, those who are weak and in pain, and those who suffer unjustly. Our whole value-system would be turned upside down, so that the powerless would be lifted up.
 
That is what God wants for us: lives characterized by love and sacrifice, in a society driven by the same values. We will never see God’s Kingdom perfectly fulfilled this side of eternity, but we as Christian individuals and communities can lead the way. And let’s pray towards an Assembly that will espouse those values, voting carefully, thoughtfully and unselfishly in May, with minds formed by the mind of the risen Jesus Christ.
 
A Happy and holy Easter

+Harold