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Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Risen Christ,

Have you ever been truly amazed? Do you think that perhaps there are no surprises left in the world? So much has already been discovered, invented and imagined. We have seen it all before.

But what if I told you an incredible event was about to happen, something so miraculous that you would talk about it for the rest of your life, telling everyone you know, passing the story down to your children and grandchildren, maybe even writing it down for future generations?

You would probably take great pains to preserve the incredible nature of that event, to convey the astonishment you felt so that those who hear it years from now will catch some of your excitement and tell everyone they know.

We are that future generation. We have inherited the most amazing story that has ever been told. Easter, the season of new birth, new hope and new beginnings, has been passed down to us.

This incredible story is not only ours to tell, but to live. As Christians, we are called to make the news of Christ's resurrection present among us every day of the year.

How important that is! Through the miracle of Easter, we have been given the means to demonstrate hope to a disheartened world. Because Jesus lived and died with us, our earth has been blessed by God in our midst. Because Jesus rose from the dead, we understand that our world is forever changed.

To live in witness to that Good News means to truly love our neighbors, even when they are not especially lovable. It means to reverence the earth God created for our home and where God chose to dwell among us.

To live the Easter story means to place God at the center of our lives everyday, wherever we are.

To live in the joy of Christ's resurrection is to be an instrument of healing and wherever there is healing, the light of hope breaks out in the world.

As the Easter Sun dawns once more, let us go forth and live this amazing story of new life. Alleluia!

May you and your loved ones be blessed with the joyful promise of the risen Lord and the hope of tomorrow.

Faithfully yours in Christ,


Howard J. Hubbard
Bishop of Albany[[In-content Ad]]

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