USAfrica magazine (Houston) and USAfricaonline.com, the first Africa-owned, US-based newspaper published on the Internet.
April 5, 2026. Easter Day
“O God, who for our redemption, gave your only begotten Son to die upon the Cross, and by his glorious resurrection delivered us from the devil and the power of death: Grant us grace to die daily to sin, that we may live with him in the joy of his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.”
“ALLELUIA! CHRIST IS RISEN!
THE LORD IS RISEN INDEED! ALLELUIA!”
Early that Sunday morning the women, with an overwhelming sense of grief and hopelessness, went to the tomb of Jesus to see the body of Jesus their beloved Lord. The reality of darkness and despair was written all over them. They were also afraid for their lives and uncertain of their future in a hostile community.
But God had a glorious surprise for them: they discovered that the stone had been rolled away and Jesus was no longer in the tomb. As they stood wondering what had happened an Angel of the Lord gave them the good news they never expected, saying: “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. *He is not here, for he has risen, as he said*. Come, see the place where he lay”(Matthew 28:5-6)!
Jesus was and is indeed risen from the dead. The formidable contingent of soldiers positioned at the entrance of his tomb could not stop him from rising from the dead. His resurrection was physical and bodily. Mary saw him and spoke with him. Those women were the very first human witnesses of his resurrection and they left with joy and began to proclaim the message, the good news, of the resurrection of Jesus.
We find ourselves in a similar situation. We live in a world filled with fear, grief, and hopelessness. Our culture is a death-denying and resurrection-skeptical culture. Strangely, it is also a death-fearing culture. We are harassed by the problems of this life and by human and spiritual foes. Christians around the world are being shamed, persecuted, and killed daily as a result of their faith in Christ. As someone put it few years ago “it is difficult to escape the reality that the world is currently experiencing a high level of instability and uncertainty. The darkness of war and violence continues to rage; countless families are displaced, and lasting peace seems elusive as more and more countries divert resources from welfare to warfare.” Life is indeed hard for many, if not for all of us!
However, there is good news and there is hope and light amidst the darkness of our earthly woes: Christ is risen and he is alive in his world and in us who believe in Him as our Savior. He is present in our 
midst. He has won the victory for us! The risen and living Christ is our hope and peace in the midst of the storms of this life in the present. He has been our help in ages past and is our hope for years to come. He is our shelter from the stormy blast, our guard while troubles last, and eventually our eternal home. Jesus is indeed our hope of glory now and in the world to come because he is risen from the dead.
Salvation and victory over death and Satan are now possible only because of his death and resurrection for us. To God be glory forever. Amen. We wish you a joy-filled and deeply grateful celebration of our Lord’s resurrection.
The Rt. Rev’d Dr Felix & Lilian Orji. He is the Diocesan Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of All Nations and the Anglican Church in North America(ACNA), Houston, Texas.
