IF you live in Newcastle, it’s almost impossible to avoid football.
And if you happen to be Bishop of Newcastle, then it’s obvious that you will, in some way or another, be part of the Toon Army.
ReutersVast crowds of cheering fans celebrating the open-top bus parade to celebrate Newcastle United winning the Carabao Cup[/caption]
SuppliedDr Helen-Ann Hartley poses with Ant and Dec for a photo[/caption]
It’s like a religion in this city and, when I was interviewed for this role, I was asked what I would not be looking forward to if I were to become the bishop.
My answer was admitting the fact that I grew up in Sunderland — such is the extent of team rivalry in the North East, mostly with a large dose of good humour, thankfully.
Day I’ll never forget
A few weeks ago, though, I joined the vast crowds of cheering fans celebrating the open-top bus parade to celebrate Newcastle United winning the Carabao Cup.
It was an extraordinary day, one that I will never forget.
Upwards of 300,000 people lined the streets from St James’ Park to the Town Moor.
I wore my black and white scarf with pride and even managed to persuade Ant and Dec to pose for a photo.
As I watched the scenes and felt the atmosphere of the day, and as I looked at the many photos that were published afterwards, my mind wandered to the events of these past few days, which Christians know as Holy Week.
Today is Easter Day, when we celebrate the fact that God raised Jesus from the dead.
We believe that what seems utterly impossible, happened.
God defeated death and showed us a new way to live.
Like so many football fans, that is the hope that draws me on and gives me perspective on our world.
It is also my motivation to do the work I do and encourage others to advocate for the lost, last and least.
Faith becomes real
The Holy Week story begins on Palm Sunday, when huge crowds heralded Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem.
By the time we get to today, and the Easter eggs are being broken into, quite a lot has happened.
I can imagine Jesus’s friends would have been well and truly exhausted by this point.
Of course, one of the features of this week is how quickly the opinions of the crowds that cheered Jesus changed their tune.
By the end of the week, they were calling for his execution.
It all seemed to end in an almighty failure.
But it wasn’t the end, of course, and what looked like a failure was anything but.
I recall a difficult conversation I had when I first became a bishop.
It was highlighted to me that faith was a bit pointless when there was so much suffering in a particular community I was visiting.
I listened and understood.
Faith becomes real when we share the pain of others and realise that it’s not about privilege and power at all.
Faith is meant to liberate, and that’s what Easter is about.
A new way to view God, the world and us. Hallelujah, Christ is risen.
Happy Easter!
NNPThe Rt Rev Dr Helen-Ann Hartley is Bishop of Newcastle[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
