Mark’s Easter Message 2026

The Easter story reminds us that resurrection is not only a moment in history, but a pattern woven into the fabric of life itself. It speaks of hope emerging where we might least expect it, of new beginnings taking root even in the shadow of loss and uncertainty.

This year, the world around us feels especially fragile. We hold in our prayers the people of Ukraine and Russia, of Iran, Israel and communities across the Middle East where conflict continues to bring fear, displacement, and grief. We are not untouched by these realities. Some in our own church community have loved ones who are directly affected. And in this inter-connected world, the deep pain of people caught in terror zones overseas echoes in our own lives - through rising costs, anxiety about the future, and a deep longing for peace.

And yet, the Easter story gently but persistently invites us to resist despair. It reminds us that even in the face of violence and injustice, love is not extinguished. Even when hope seems buried, it is not gone. The empty tomb is not an escape from the world’s troubles, but a call to engage with them differently - with courage, compassion, and a renewed commitment to life.

Here in our community, on the edge of a busy city and within the rhythms of commuter life, we are called to be signs of that resurrection hope. In small acts of kindness, in our concern for neighbours near and far, in our willingness to pray and speak and act for justice - we become part of the Easter story.

May this season renew in us a quiet but determined hope: that light can still shine, that peace can still be made, and that love, in the end, will have the final word.

Rev Mark Hammond