Easter Sunday reflection with Rev Simon Cash at Dewsbury Minster

These words spoken by Kenneth Wolstenholme as fans at the 1966 World Cup final anticipated the final whistle have been immortalised ever since and lead to scenes of joy and jubilation the likes of which have not been seen since by England football fans.

One could equally attribute these words perhaps to the crowd who had gathered to witness the crucifixion of Jesus on that dark Good Friday.

There Jesus hung on the cross in searing pain until he could do so no longer and breathed his last.

The crowds were witnessing the prospect of their fight against the ruling Roman authorities disappear in front of their very eyes, not that Jesus had ever set out to be the sort of messiah that the Jewish people had longed for him to be.

His disciples who had become his closest companions were witnessing the slow death of a trusted friend, who had taught them so much, the meaning of which to some of them had not yet been realised.

Where was their hope? It was ebbing away right in front of them.

You can perhaps imagine the crowd slowly drifting away after Jesus had taken his last breath, a bit like England football fans have done following the disappointments of defeats suffered since 1966.

The future without Jesus looked hopeless. What would the future look like without Jesus who had spoken with such authority and reminded people about the Christian call to "love God" and "love thy neighbour"?

But just when people thought it was all over, something amazing happened.

This Jesus, who three days earlier they had witnessed dying on a cross, had overcome the greatest barrier of all, death, and was now alive again.

His closest followers were, I am sure, struggling to believe it, that was until they saw him for themselves.

This is the “good news” of the Christian faith on which we pin all our hopes.

When Jesus died, he took the sins of the whole world upon his shoulders, and they died with him.

When he rose again from the dead this signalled a new beginning for all who believed in Jesus. Our sins, yours, and mine, have been dealt with once and for all.

Coupled with this, the promise of a new life in heaven for eternity after this life and our hope is restored.

For some it might not feel as though there is much hope.

The rising cost of living is something which many people are struggling with.

The people of the Ukraine must feel largely hopeless faced with the Russian military invasion of their country.

And yet as Christians we believe we live in the presence of a mighty God, a god who was able to bring Jesus back from the dead.

If God can do that, then when we come to him in prayer, what is to stop him taking care of the things that we struggle with?

This is our hope. If you have not already experienced this hope for yourself, what have you to lose by finding out more?

Wishing you all a happy and hope-filled Easter.