Easter Message from Bishop Oscar

Dear Friends in Christ,

This year's celebration of Easter is like no other due to the pandemic and its devastating impact upon our world, our nation, our very lives. Yet, the Good News of Easter is constant and unchanged no matter the conditions and situations we face. Namely, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who took up his cross and died for us and our salvation, has been raised from the dead. He was not defeated and proved victorious: turning darkness to light; suffering to glory and even death to life.

The Good News of Easter is that Jesus is alive and with us! So through this crisis, we do not fear but rather trust in his power to deliver us. We are not overwhelmed by our crosses but find strength in the Lord to carry them. We do not give up when we sin but trust that no sin is greater than the Lord's mercy. While we mourn the death of loved ones at this time of year, we do not despair but find our hope in the newness and fullness of life that Jesus promises to all who follow Him.

Just like the witnesses of the Risen Lord, we to are called to share the Good News of Easter with others. So, proudly let others see your love for God and your trust in him and your joy and serenity in following his ways. Continue to share your time and resources with others especially the weak, the vulnerable and those in most need. What a wonderful way to bring Christ and his compassion to others!

Dear friends: At this difficult time, how blessed are we to be united in faith and hope. I pray that Our Lord Jesus will bless you and your families with his peace at Easter and always as together we proclaim: "Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead and is alive and with us. Alleluia. Alleluia!”

Yours brother and friend in the love of Christ,

Rt.Rev. Oscar Stephen Mnunga.

Bishop Diocese of Newala.

Lent Greetings from Bishop Oscar

My dear Brothers and Sisters,

Greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith!

The disciplines of Lent, which began on Ash Wednesday, are not intended to be burdensome, but to open our lives more fully to the transforming power of the gospel. Our mission as the Anglican Church of Tanzania is simple, yet powerful: it is ‘to equip God’s people to transform society with the gospel’. This is a holistic transformation much deeper and more lasting than any government or international agency can bring because it addresses our deepest need, that of a restored relationship with the God in whose image we are made and whose workmanship we are.

The glorious truth of the gospel is that we are justified freely by God’s grace alone, but far from making us complacent about doing good, the abundant grace and full forgiveness we have through the blood of Christ should be a great spur to Christ-like living, to walking in those good works ‘which God prepared beforehand’.

Our Christian faith can also have an impact on the scourge of unemployment; although the immediate causes often lie with economic forces beyond our control, the Christian values of hard work, thrift, enterprise and honesty have the capacity to bring long term prosperity.

These things are not easy. They call for the spiritual depth which comes from a real and growing awareness of Christ’s presence in our personal lives. Otherwise, the good works God calls us to do will simply feel like burdens and we will not sustain them under pressure. During this Lenten season, whatever particular disciplines we adopt, our first aim should be to draw near to God in prayer and through his Word, beseeching him to make in us new and contrite hearts, hearts that will desire the things of his heart.

Without this joyful discipline, we will be vulnerable to taking short cuts that lead us away from the truth of the gospel. Some church leaders seem to think that the transformation of society will  simply come through commitment to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, and at home in Tanzania , the Vision 2030 initiative and the new constitution. While it is obvious that such good things as feeding the hungry, fighting disease, improving education and national prosperity are to be desired by all, by themselves any human dream can become a substitute gospel which renders repentance and the cross of Christ irrelevant.

So this Lent, let us seek to experience a renewed walk with Christ in those good works that God has prepared. The good news of the gospel is that transformation begins with ordinary men, women and children, however sinful or insignificant we may feel. It is not a responsibility we can leave to governments and agencies, but a challenge to fulfil the purposes of Almighty God in our place for our time.

May the Lord establish your hearts in every good work as you trust in Him.

Amen.

Yours Servant in the love of Christ,

Rt.Rev. Oscar Stephen  Mnunga.

Bishop Diocese of Newala.