Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
Grace and peace to you this Easter.
This is my first Easter as your Bishop. Thank you for the gracious welcome you gave, but much more so for the faith of the church across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly – it has been a privilege to visit many of you over the last year. On Maundy Thursday I am inviting all clergy and LLMs to reaffirm their baptismal vows and ordination promises at Truro Cathedral at 10.30am. There is a warm invitation for any who would like to gather that day with me. On Easter Eve I will be baptising and Confirming candidates in Truro Cathedral, do speak to your priest if this is something you would like to take part in.
This season of Lent takes us to the oldest and truest story of hope the world has ever known. We will arrive at the great three days – at the shadow of the Cross and the dawning of the empty tomb – and we find ourselves standing within the oldest and truest story of hope the world has ever known.
On Good Friday, we see love poured out. We see Christ betrayed, abandoned, and nailed to a cross. We see darkness fall at noon. We hear the cry: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” It is a cry that echoes through every hospital corridor, every graveside, every anxious heart. Good Friday assures us that there is no suffering we endure that Christ has not experienced himself.
The cross tells us that God does not stand at a distance from pain. He comes into it; He bears it and He redeems it. And yet, if the story ended there, it would not be Gospel.
Easter morning begins in silence and confusion. The stone is rolled away. The tomb is empty. Tears turn to astonishment. Fear gives way to wonder. And in a garden at daybreak, the risen Lord speaks a single word: “Mary.” Hope begins not as an idea, but as a name spoken in love. Easter proclaims that light is stronger than darkness, that love is stronger than hatred and that life is stronger than death. This is not sentimental optimism. It is resurrection truth.
In a world that can feel and often is fractured and uncertain, Easter gives us courage. It reminds us that even when we cannot yet see the full picture, God is at work. The stone has been rolled away. The future is opened. For us as a diocese, Easter calls us to be people of hope, not because circumstances are easy, but because Christ is risen.
We are called to be bearers of light in our communities: in our parishes and chaplaincies, in our schools and care homes and in our town centres and rural villages Where there is loneliness, we bring companionship. Where there is anxiety, we bring peace. Where there is weariness, we bring encouragement.
And we do so not in our own strength, but in the power of the risen Christ. Above all, Easter is the triumph of love. The cross is love stretched out. The resurrection is love vindicated. The Church is called to be love embodied. May this Easter renew your confidence in God’s promises. May it rekindle your joy in the Gospel. May it strengthen you to live as people of hope, light and love.
Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed. Alleluia.
With every blessing this Easter,
Rt Revd David Williams