Dear TWU Community,
We all grow up living in a story whether we know it or not. Indeed, stories are crucial to our place in the world. Stories help us to understand not only what we know but how we come to know the world around us. Stories are easy to find in a world filled with prolific writers, imaginative filmmakers, and creative digital artists. The challenge is not finding a compelling, emotionally moving, or illuminating story but, rather, finding one that is both generative and true.
When you read the Gospels, what story do they tell about Jesus? The story of Jesus is not the history of an inspiring teacher, moral philosopher, political radical, or martyr. Instead, the story of Jesus is the story of God’s care, love, and commitment to the world. In short, Easter is the joyful celebration of God’s exaltation of Jesus.
As Peter proclaims, “Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you . . . . God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power” (Acts 2:22–24, NRSV).
This proclamation: “God raised him up,” lies at the centre of Christianity and remains the singular source and foundation of the world’s hope. In the resurrection of Jesus, God reveals his Son to be victorious and Lord over all, including sin, death, and the devil.
We all yearn for hope and renewal in a world of conflict, mistrust, and brokenness. Today, on Easter morning, I invite you to return to the story of Jesus. Having become incarnate and living among us to reveal the truth of obedience and worship, God entered the world and experienced the pain, suffering, temptation, and loss that each of us faces. Punished for our sins, he was crucified and buried. And yet, death could not hold him, and on Easter morning, God raised him up.
The story of Jesus is God’s declaration of love and life. God has broken the chain and power of death through the sacrifice and death of his Son. Today, we celebrate the fact that God raised him up. Jesus is the exalted Lord over all things.
What is our response to this story? What are we called to do? Our calling? Like the women at the empty tomb, we are not to be afraid but with great joy, go and share the good news of the resurrection with others. Life, freedom, forgiveness, healing, and renewal are finally and fully present in Christ. For God has raised him up, and He, the risen and triumphant Lord is the hope of the nations!
Christ is risen. He is risen indeed!
Grace and peace,
Mark Husbands, PhD
President and Vice Chancellor
About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is Canada’s premier global Christian liberal arts university. We are dedicated to equipping students to discover meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. Drawing upon the riches of the Christian tradition, seeking to unite faith and reason through teaching and scholarship, Trinity Western University is a degree-granting research institution offering liberal arts and sciences as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. It has four locations in Canada: Langley, Richmond-Lansdowne, Richmond-Minoru, and Ottawa. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn.
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