May I start by wishing you all a Blessed Easter and a wonderful Assyrian New Year 6764.

I am filled with gratitude and joy as I declare that Jesus Christ is Risen! He is surely Risen! Easter is a time of great anticipation of what our Lord and Savior is yet to do; and it is a time of great celebration of what our Lord and Savior has already done.

We anticipate the inheritance that we have in Christ Jesus as we are reminded in 1 Peter 3-4, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” What a great hope we as believers have.

We celebrate that our Savior willingly gave up His life andconquered the grave once and for all. Death has lost its sting. InJohn 10: 14-18, Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” What a great love we have received.

As we meditate on the terrible suffering that Christ went through for you and me, let us dedicate our lives to be a living reflection of God’s grace, mercy and forgiveness towards us. Let us be the love of God to one another. Easter marks the end of the Old Covenant under law and invites us into the New Covenant under grace. As we give thanks for God’s Salvation, God’s forgiveness and God’s love for all who believe; let us freely reach out to those who need our help, our forgiveness, our compassion and our time. Let us share God’s love in a tangible way this Easter.

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