Bishop's letters: April 04 +Graham : Easter with a difference

Easter with a Difference – the Difference Jesus Makes

Most people have heard that Jesus changed water into wine at a wedding. In this way he showed his glory, the story says. But the purpose of the story is to show that Jesus makes everyday life far better than it is without him. If you are not too sure about this, I want to invite you to try for yourself.

When the first Christians claimed that they had seen Jesus after his death, this was just as unlikely then as it seems today. Can it really be true? And if it is true, does it call for our attention?

The Christian Faith took off from this first Easter experience. Indeed it is hard to believe that Christian Faith would have spread all over the world if the body of Jesus had remained where it was buried? Surely not? It would have been so easy to produce the body and that would have been the end of faith in Jesus. But now, as then, it is experience that brings confirmation. All over the world there are millions of people who have welcomed Jesus and found their lives radically changed for the better by doing so. I can only invite you to do the same.

Christian Faith is Jesus. Not church, not religion, not going good. It is Jesus, the one who changes lives, turns my ‘water’ into ‘wine’. Going to church follows, for we love to worship him. Serving others follows, for we are to love as God loves. Jesus calls us into a new order, the Kingdom of God, a way of forgiveness and dignity and justice for all. But the call starts with Jesus, who fills me from head to toes with his life.

I keep meeting people in Cumbria who know this to be true. Maybe you are one of them. There will certainly be some not far from you. Ask them to tell you their story. This is the sign that Jesus is alive and here to change the world: he is present in those who welcome him.

St. John, the writer of the wedding story, wants his readers to discover this for themselves. Easter will certainly become a day to remember if you find Jesus for yourself. Why not pray,

‘Jesus, the scriptures say you are alive.
Forgive my doubts,
Come into my life,
Show me your ‘wine’.
Change me and my life for the better.
Jesus, I pray. Amen’



Bishop Graham Dow, Bishop of Carlisle