I wonder what your favourite story is? Perhaps it’s a novel you’ve read recently, or maybe a book you had when you were a child. It might be a story you heard on the radio, or something you’ve been told by a friend. You might even be creatively minded enough to enjoy writing your own stories, using your imagination to shape those ideas into something you want to share with others. Recently I’ve been fortunate enough to work with the talented illustrator Jack Seymour, who has a wonderful power of storytelling through the art of lino printing, communicating things beyond words.
Whatever your favourite is, these stories help to shape us as people, especially those with a particular meaning to us. They become a part of who we are. I imagine we all enjoy stories and storytelling – storytelling has been part of our human culture for centuries. Stories inspires us. They share with us something about humanity, about community, and about how we can make sense of the world in which we live. They enable us to use our imaginations, to delve into someone else’s words, and they teach us too, and in some cases shape who we are – they change us, they are transformational.
It might not be surprising to know that, for me, it is the story of Easter which has been most transformational in my life. The Easter story is one which brings us joy and hope in new life – it is the foundation of Christian faith as we share in the death and resurrection of Jesus. So often we encounter Jesus in the Bible telling stories to his friends, just as we do today, and it is the message of resurrection reflected in nature and seasons which offers us hope today. The Christian faith is often referred to as ‘Good News’ – the gospel literally means Good News, a story which offers us hope in Jesus Christ.
The reality is that for a great many people, life is challenging. Our world which has so much that is hard to understand or live with – war, natural disaster, human suffering, grief, rising living costs and poverty – we can embrace the same hope of that Easter story for a world which is grounded in justice and peace. This is the hope I gain from the story of Jesus, hope for a better world.
In all this, we become part of God’s story. We are living hope – in creation, in who we are, and in the stories we live and tell. We become part of that story of hope as we seek to make a difference to the people and communities around us. As we are shaped by stories, others too are shaped by the stories we tell, and live.
So as many of us exchange a card or greeting of ‘happy Easter’ – can I encourage you to consider joining in the Holy Week and Easter services at your local church? And may I encourage you too to continue storytelling, to find joy and comfort in the stories we love, and embrace the hope that we see in God’s love.
I wish you hope and joy this Easter, as together we celebrate stories of new life around us.
Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York
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