Archbishop Jensen’s Easter Message

Embargoed till 1 am Friday, 21st March 2008

The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Peter Jensen, in his Easter message, has described reconciliation as ‘a very Christian idea’ and a powerful force for good in the world.

Dr Jensen also referred to what he called the human heart’s longing for an existence beyond the grave, saying the resurrection of Jesus allows people to trust ‘the one person who can take you through the greatest calamity of life and bring you safe to the other side.’

It is Dr Jensen’s seventh Easter message as head of the largest Anglican Diocese in Australia.

In it he refers to the recent apology to the stolen generations, saying there was “An apology on the one part, forgiveness on the other and a determination to make this ‘new day’ work.”

He described the apology as a very powerful and very Christian idea saying that, in a cosmic sense, “The death and resurrection of Jesus is the moment of reconciliation.”

Text of the message :

Easter Message 2008 - Dr Peter Jensen

Do you believe in ghosts, spirits and such like? I know lots of people do. Even if people come back as ghosts, they are not full people. They are more like memories of people, wisps of humanity.

I know that some of you have been really heartbroken by the loss of a person in your life and you try to contact the person. This is very dangerous " meddling in the occult is never a good idea. Anyway, as the old saying goes, death is so permanent. It is irreversible. We will be joining them,  but they’ll not be joining us.

Ghosts represent the longing of the human heart for an existence beyond the grave. But we don’t have to just hope it may be so. The words "death is so permanent" are actually not true. After Jesus was put to death, he came out of his grave " not as a ghost, but as a whole person. He did not merely survive death " he conquered death and he did it for us. When you trust in Jesus Christ, you are trusting the one person who can take you through the greatest calamity of life and bring you safe to the other side. Christians don’t try to contact their dead because we know that they are with Jesus and we will join them as whole people " in fact those who belong to Jesus will be transformed people. Easter certainly makes you smile! It shows you that new beginnings are possible.

This year, we as a nation have been summoned to a new beginning in our relationships with the first people of our land. We have been asked for reconciliation - a very powerful and very Christian idea. Apology on the one part, forgiveness on the other and a determination to make this ‘new day’ work. The death and resurrection of Jesus is the moment of reconciliation.  God summons us to give up our old wrong attitudes to him, to say sorry and to entrust ourselves to Jesus. He brings forgiveness from God and he has conquered death. When we understand what God has done for us, we find it easier to ask for forgiveness and easier to give it. The message of Easter is one of the most powerful things for good in this world " and it shows us that death is not permanent!