As I was preparing to preach at an Easter service here in Birmingham UK, I found it very difficult to articulate a message of hope in a world where images of despair and darkness confront us every time we switch on the TV news or click on a newsfeed:
War and famine, where it is the weak and vulnerable who suffer from the decisions and actions of the powerful.
Climate change caused by human greed that threatens the lives of our children and grandchildren.
And in the city where I live, Birmingham, homelessness and child poverty are increasing while the city council is bankrupt and without the resources to deal with the crisis.
As usual, it was in thinking of the Hands at Work Care Workers in our communities that I was able to find the message of Easter.
Those ordinary people in some of the poorest communities in the world who daily dare to defy the darkness of poverty and vulnerability in their communities.
I found hope in reading George’s accounts from Goma in the DRC of Care Workers creating safe spaces amidst the chaos, danger and devastation of a huge refugee camp, so that children are fed and looked after and shown love.
I am inspired by Care Workers and Hands at Work volunteers who have the courage to bring to justice those who would abuse the girls in our communities.
I am encouraged by the day-after-day commitment of the Care Workers to turn up and prepare food for children, who otherwise would go hungry.
And they do this because it’s not right that children suffer at the hands of the powerful. It’s not right that in a world where there is enough food for all, children go hungry.
Our Care Workers dare to defy the darkness of poverty and hunger and injustice. Through their commitment and faithfulness they are saying: We will not let this happen here!
In our own context here in the UK, volunteers help out in foodbanks because parents and carers should not be going without food so that they can feed their children, or volunteer at the Places of Welcome (community drop-in centres) because in a city with a population of over 2 million people there should not be those who are lonely and isolated.
We defy the voices that say that the problem is too big and there’s nothing we can do about it.
We defy the darkness.
Because we know that bringing hope to the world starts with where we are.
It starts with us.
The message of Easter is that what God wants for us, our families, our communities, our world, is new life and new hope.
And we have the responsibility and the privilege of sharing that hope right here where God has put us.
We are called to dare to defy the darkness!