Most of us can recall a moment in our own past when something that gave meaning and happiness to life seemed suddenly to have been taken away. Matthew’s Easter Gospel tells us, however, that early on that morning, the discovery was made that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, and that this incredible, miraculous, life-changing news would turn that empty tomb into a profound sign of God’s love and transforming power to heal and restore and make all things new.

In the weeks that follow Easter Sunday, we hear in scripture how the appearances of Jesus after his death gave his followers a new confidence and conviction that the leader who they had placed all their hopes and dreams in would never be separated from them again. Their minds had been confused and their hearts broken. They had been devastated and paralyzed with grief and abandonment. Now, however, they were full of courage and faith. They were ready for the difficult task of sharing their Easter joy with others. Christ’s resurrection would change these men and women forever, and this miraculous and profound event would propel them forward in the days ahead.

My wife and I have been watching a British television program called “Long Lost Family” where family members are reunited after many years of separation and disconnection. In one episode, a man who had been adopted from birth, sat in a room waiting to be reunited with a mother he had never known and a family he had no idea he had belonged to. When they came through the door the expression on the man’s face was one of being reborn right on that very spot! It was an incredible scene as he learned that he had never been forgotten after all these years, never been unloved or unwanted, and now he was embraced and surrounded by a group of relatives that up until a few days before he didn’t know existed. You can tell that at that moment it was almost too much to take in. His heart was bursting with new life and a new sense of who he was and who he belonged to. It was clear that his life would never be the same again.

When I sat there and watched this moment unfold, it occurred to me that this is part of the joy and the overwhelming sense of love and transformation that comes to us at Easter. It is the glorious news that we have never been alone, that we will never be abandoned, unwanted, that we have always and will always be loved far more than we can ever imagine.

When I think about that family reunion on that television show, I also think about our congregations and our parishes as we gather each week as a family around the altar of the Lord. It is in these sacred gatherings that we are filled with the courage and love of Jesus and are empowered to bear witness to the presence of the risen Christ to those who experience the same situations of fear and doubt and abandonment wherever they may be.

In Matthew’s Gospel, the angel asked those who had gathered at the tomb to remember that Jesus had told them that he would rise again on the third day and soon the thoughts of abandonment and fear would turn to resurrection joy.

In this blessed Easter season, let us seek to express something of this joy and the transforming power of the resurrection, in prayer, song, sacrament and in our common life together. May we carry this good news with us and in us and through us as we journey together with our new bishop in the days and years to come.

Bishop Michael Bird is serving as diocesan administrator until the new bishop’s consecration on May 9.

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Dr. Thomas Barnardo came to London in 1866 from Ireland in the midst of an outbreak of cholera that swept through the East End killing more than 3,000 people and leaving families destitute. Thousands of children slept on the streets, and many others were forced to beg after being maimed in factories where they were forced to work. The following year, having decided to abandon his desire to become a missionary in China, the doctor set up a ragged school in the East End where poor children could get a basic education.

In 1870, Barnardo opened his first home for boys in London, and it would become the first of many Barnardo orphanages across Britain. A sign was posted on the front of that home: ‘No Destitute Child Ever Refused Admission.’ While the charity no longer runs homes for boys and girls, Doctor Barnardo’s mission is alive and well in the good work they continue to do: “that every child deserves the best possible start in life, whatever their background.” It is a philosophy that still inspires the charity today.

With the help of Barnardo’s meticulous records, we heard something of Joseph’s story whose father became blind at a very young age and had to leave his employment. Despite his affliction, he continued to support his wife and three children by playing a violin in the streets, until his death of bronchitis at the age of 32. A while later, Joseph’s mother also died of consumption and as a result he and his brother were left homeless.

As you may have guessed, Joseph was my grandfather, and the story of my great-grandfather playing a violin on the streets of London in a desperate attempt to feed his family has had a powerful impact upon my life and ministry. I know, first-hand, the potential that this kind of poverty and deprivation can have to reach down and touch the lives of those in the generations to follow.

What was remarkable to me and so encouraging for all of us in our diocese was the fact that Cornerstone was a ministry that began when a few faithful Anglicans saw a need in their neighbourhood and responded from their hearts and in response to their baptismal calling. As stated on our website our five community ministries: “serve those most vulnerable in our midst. They are often people struggling with issues around homelessness, poverty, mental illness, trauma, and addiction. All are welcome and accepted regardless of faith, race, gender, or orientation. Together, we strive to nurture the health and well-being of all those who seek our services, creating communities of compassion around them.” I invite you to learn more about each of our five remarkable community ministries and, if you are not already doing so, to consider supporting them financially.

We have just concluded our Christmas celebrations and given thanks that in the humble setting of the birth of the Christ-child, the glory of the Lord shone around an unlikely people with a message that has echoed down through the ages: that no life or no situation, no matter how difficult or how impoverished, is beyond the reach and desire of God to enter into and to change in dramatic ways. May we all be inspired by the wonderful directors, staff members, volunteers and board members of each of our Community Ministries so that we too may be instruments of this transforming love of God to the world Christ came to save.

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In retirement, or perhaps I should say semi-retirement, I have had more time these days to sit and reflect upon my 41 years of ordained ministry, and I have thought a great deal about the times when I have endeavoured to discern God’s call to the best of my ability and the times when the busyness and the distractions of my life and work have prevented me from listening carefully for the leading of the Holy Spirit. The work of Christian discernment involves the intentional carving out of time in our schedules for prayer, meditation, the reading of scripture, and listening for God’s voice in the voices and conversations we have with trusted colleagues, spiritual directors, mentors, loved ones and friends. We also must be prepared at times to hear such a call in the life or voice of a stranger or someone we disagree with. I pray that we will do all these things to discern who will offer leadership as the 11th Bishop of Ottawa.

As I write this article, news has just been released that Bishop Sarah Mullally, the Bishop of London in England, is to become the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, and her appointment is yet another sign of the transforming and restoring work of our God who is so often full of wonderful surprises! In welcoming Bishop Mullally to this new ministry, Bishop Anthony Poggo, the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion invited the churches of the global Anglican Communion to pray for the archbishop-designate that God might grant her wisdom and discernment, as she seeks to listen to member churches, encourage mutual support and foster unity. May we in the Diocese of Ottawa also be granted this gift of discernment in the days ahead.

We are putting together some prayers and liturgical resources to offer the members of our Diocese in preparation for the episcopal election and we will put them on the website under the “Episcopal Election 2026” heading.

In the meantime, I offer one of my favourite prayers for the church from the BAS [Book of Alternative Services:]

O God of unchangeable power and eternal light,

look favourably upon your whole Church,

that wonderful and sacred mystery.

By the effectual working of your providence,

carry out in tranquillity the plan of salvation.

Let the whole world see and know

that things which were cast down are being raised up,

and things which had grown old are being made new,

and that all things are being brought to their perfection

By him through whom all things were made,

Your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.    Amen.

The Right Reverend Michael A. Bird brings over four decades of pastoral and episcopal leadership to the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa. Since completing his tenure as the eleventh Bishop of Niagara, Bishop Bird has served in the Diocese of Ottawa in a variety of roles that reflect his steady and thoughtful approach to ministry.

In 2018, at the invitation of Bishop John Chapman, Bishop Bird became the Incumbent of the newly formed Parish of the Valley—a regional ministry spanning multiple congregations across the Upper Ottawa Valley. He also served as Archdeacon of Pembroke and, during a period of medical leave, was appointed Bishop’s Commissary, providing oversight and continuity at the diocesan level.

These experiences have given Bishop Bird a strong familiarity with the Diocese’s clergy, congregations, and administrative structures. He understands the regional and pastoral dynamics of ADO and has earned the respect of both lay and ordained leaders through his collaborative and steady presence.

Currently residing within the diocese and engaged in part-time ministry, Bishop Bird is well positioned to serve as administrator during the episcopal transition. His prior leadership within ADO, combined with his episcopal experience and understanding of diocesan governance, provide a solid foundation for this interim role until a new bishop is elected and installed.

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