The Diocesan Bishop for The Church of England in Lancashire (Blackburn Diocese) says many people are asking the question in these troubled times. He also invites people to find Jesus for themselves by visiting their local church this Easter.
The video message is available in full now across all the Diocesan social channels as well as our website.
Bishop Philip says: “In the midst of an endless cost of living crisis where hundreds of thousands of families struggle to put food on the table, how do I know I’m safe? In urban communities riddled by drugs related crime and where ketamine abuse has risen by 75% in 12 months how do I know I’m safe?
“And in a world where the most powerful nation is also the least predictable and the rules-based world order is at threat like no other time since World War II, how do I know I’m safe?
“That is exactly the question that Easter answers.”
The Bishop continues: “In Jesus, God knows what it was to feel as unsafe as we are. Jesus came from the perfect safety of heaven into this unsafe world. He suffered profoundly as a victim of human sin. He knew life as a refugee. He experienced rejection by his friends.
“He underwent mockery and abuse. And then on Good Friday he went into the ultimate place of unsafety which is death. He was nailed to a cross. His side was pierced with a spear. He breathed his last. He was placed into a stone cold tomb. Jesus, God’s own Son, died.
“But by experiencing our lack of safety, Jesus invites us to a place of safety. By being unsafe, he makes us safe. You see when Jesus died, he didn’t just die his own death. He died our death also. He stepped in and did the dying we sinners deserve on our behalf.
“Then on Easter Day he rose magnificently from the dead, and as he did so he destroyed death altogether.”
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the message Bishop Philip invites people across Lancashire to go to their local church this coming weekend.
He says: “This Easter, why not explore more deeply what it means to find safety in Jesus? In the days leading up to Easter Sunday, in your local church, Christians will be gathering to give thanks for all that Jesus does to make us safe.
“They will be meeting for worship and for fellowship. There may well be activities for families and for children. And you won’t just be made welcome at your local church. It is your family. You belong there.
“They are waiting to meet you and welcome you home. Above all they are longing to share with you the best news ever. That Jesus has risen from the dead. And that if we turn to him and trust in him, we can be safe with him for ever.”
Click this link to watch and read the full Easter message:
https://www.blackburn.anglican.org/news/1009/jesus-is-the-answer-says-bishop-philip