Anglican bishop urges Christians to appreciate benefits of Easter

The Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Lagos West, Dr. James Odedeji, has admonished Christians not to just celebrate Easter but to ensure they appreciate the benefits of the celebration.

The cleric established that the Easter celebration guarantees victory over death for Christians.

In his Easter Day sermon on Sunday at the Archbishop Vining Memorial Church Cathedral, Ikeja, Lagos, the cleric noted that Jesus Christ’s resurrection from death brought redemption and salvation to mankind.

He said, “Jesus’ resurrection strengthened the faith of the world, particularly Christians, as stated in Acts of the Apostles, Chapter, Verse 12.

“Hope of eternity and immortality for man is another benefit that Easter or resurrection of Jesus Christ brings to mankind.

“Followers of Christ would have been most ‘miserable and hopeless’ if Jesus had not risen from the dead.”

The bishop identified the laying of the foundation of the Christian faith as yet another benefit of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, saying the resurrection led to the spread of the good news, which the church is all about.

According to him, most of the Old Testament represented prophecies towards the coming of Jesus, his death and resurrection for the redemption of mankind.

He cited the empty tomb and many post-resurrection appearances of Jesus as incontrovertible evidence about the resurrection.