What a blessing and joy to be able to welcome a new and glorious Easter.  We know that many would have loved to see this day, and it is by God’s grace that we are able to rejoice in it. May I start by wishing you all a Blessed Easter and a wonderful Assyrian New Year 6763.

Easter for some is all about making beautiful colored eggs with their family, baking family treats, receiving chocolate candies, jelly beans, cards, and of cause going on a scavenger hunt to find the Easter Bunny.  All these things are great fun, creating a memorable time for our children, however that is not the real reason for Easter.

Easter to believers is a time to stand in awe of God’s amazing love to redeem the world of our sins. God knew that the only way we could live with Him in eternity was if we believe in His only begotten Son(John 3:16). But as a Holy and Righteous God, He knew that all sins have to be paid for, and so He chose to crucify His only Son for the sins of the world. Only our Lord Jesus Christ was blameless, worthy, holy and without sin or blemish. He was the final Lamb of God that took upon Himself our sins, iniquities and transgressions so that we might become God’s righteousness.

As believers, when God looks at us, He sees Jesus standing in our place of punishment, and He then knows that our sins are ALREADY paid for. Any and all ours sins, past, present and future were nailed on the cross for all who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, to those who continue to walk in the will of God. In this way He was able to purchase, for all who believe, eternal life. This is why we commemorate Good Friday. It is the day that our Lord Jesus Christ died to be our Savior.  What great love?

On the third day, Resurrection Sunday, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ conquered the grave and made death have no sting to believers. In John 11:25-26 Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die”. Resurrection Sunday is the cornerstone of Christianity. It is because Jesus died for us that we live for Him. It is because He rose again, that we know that our life’s service will be rewarded when we stand in His presence. This is the REAL meaning of Easter.

Let us recognize and reflect on the magnitude that our Loving Father sacrificed for us.  Are we meditating on this truth? How is Christ risen in our lives? Do we continue living for Christ in all that we do, say, hear, and speak? Are we living lives that celebrate God’s love for us? Are we loving deeper, forgiving faster, and sharing our blessings with those who will never be able to repay us? Are we living as Jesus lived? If not, we should be; as we are the body of Christ here on earth.

We are starting the Assyrian New Year 6763 on April 1st, I pray that our merciful father will grant each one of us joy, health, and prosperity; but most of all, I pray that we all have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I encourage us all to keep Assyria alive through our actions, in our hearts, and through our language even as we are out here in the diaspora. We must remain active, united and focused in one voice and mind; making sure we support each other, both here and those suffering in the homeland.  May God continue to bless us all.

In His Service,

Cor-Bishop Fr. George Bet Rasho