Dear friends,
We live in a time when everything around us feels shaken and the future seems uncertain. We witness suffering and injustice and ask ourselves: How can we live in faith at a time like this? Do we wait for stability before we act, before we hope, before we love? Or do we stand firm now, rooted not in the uncertainty of this world, but in the promises of God?
We are not called to wait in fear, but to live in faith, trusting that God remains faithful to those who place their hope in him. This is the message of Easter, it is a powerful proclamation of victory. It proclaims that suffering does not define us and that death itself has been defeated. Jesus Christ did not avoid pain, he faced it fully and bore the cross with love and trust in the Father. Through his sacrifice and resurrection, he revealed an eternal truth: that darkness can never overcome light and that evil will never conquer good.
Even when hope feels buried under the weight of the world, we remember that seeds grow in the dark. Much of the work of a tree happens unseen, deep underground, before it grows up and bears fruit. Likewise, we are called to remain faithful, to love when it costs us much, to stand up for justice when it is difficult, and to persevere when nothing seems to change. This is the kind of faith that transforms the world – a living, active and courageous faith that reflects the light of Christ.
In the Tent of Nations, we hold fast to this calling despite the many challenges and uncertainties we face. In the face of adversity, we choose faith over fear, hope over despair and love over hate. We refuse to surrender to a spirit of defeat. Instead, we rise up as the people of God, called to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
Yes, we are grieving. Yes, we are frustrated. Yes, we experience deep brokenness. But we do not remain in despair. We rise up in faith and shed the victim mentality.
The darkness of Good Friday was real, but it was never the end. The dark clouds that gathered brought rain that nourished the earth and prepared it for new life. And on the third day, the stone was rolled away, light broke through the darkness, and life triumphed over death.
So let us not tire of doing good and let us not harden our hearts in the face of suffering. Instead, let us become messengers of God’s love in a world that so desperately needs his light.
Let us live in the resurrection, not only in words, but in our daily actions, in the courage to stand up and speak the truth, in the willingness to love and in the determination not to give up. We are called to transform the valley of tears into a fountain of life.
May this Easter strengthen your faith, renew your spirit and fill you with a deep and abiding certainty that Christ has overcome the world.
Christ is risen.
He is truly risen
And with him, our hope awakens, strong, unshakeable and alive.
With faith, love and steadfast hope
Daoud Nassar