Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Grace and peace to you in the name of our risen Lord.
On this Easter, we write to you with hearts full of hope. Across continents and cultures, in
large cities and small villages, in places of celebration and in places of struggle, we proclaim
together: Christ is risen!

The first Easter announced something radical and world-changing: the first have become last,
and the last have become first. In John’s Gospel, Mary Magdalene first encounters the risen
Christ. In a world where women were silenced and marginalised, she becomes the first
witness and the first apostle, sent to proclaim the resurrection. The risen Lord entrusted the
good news not to the powerful, not to the religious elite, instead the power of declaring the
truth was given to one whom society considered insignificant.

From the manger to the cross and now to the empty tomb, the life of Jesus reveals a divine
reversal. Those pushed to the margins are drawn to the centre of God’s saving work. Easter
proclaims that God overturns the hierarchies of our world. The forgotten are remembered.
The oppressed are honoured. The last are placed first.

This is good news for our communion and for our world today. In a time when so many are
excluded, because of gender, race, poverty, displacement, or political vulnerability, the
resurrection reminds us that God’s new creation begins among those whom the world
Overlooks.

Easter is the promise of a new beginning. Peter and the beloved disciple ran to the tomb
carrying confusion, hope, and the weight of their failure. They fled. They denied. They
wavered in their commitment to follow him. He restored. He recommissioned. He made all
things new.

So too for us. As churches and as individuals, we carry regrets, things done and left undone.
Easter tells us that failure does not have the final word. In the risen Christ, we are offered a
fresh start. We are invited again into faithful witness, courageous discipleship, and renewed
Hope.

And, Easter brings hope for all humanity. It declares that death does not have ultimate power.
Violence does not have the last word. In a world scarred by war, injustice, environmental
devastation, and deep division, the resurrection stands as God’s “Yes” to life and all things
living. Even when it appears that might is right, Easter proclaims that truth, justice, and peace
will prevail in God’s time.
As a global communion, we are called to embody this resurrection hope — to stand with
those who are last, to practice forgiveness and renewal, and to witness to a hope that refuses
to die.

May this Easter renew our courage.
May it strengthen our commitment to justice.
May it deepen our trust in the God who makes all things new.
Christ is risen. He is risen indeed.

With Easter joy and solidarity,

Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson and Rev. Philip Vinod Peacock