Performed by Johanna Binder, this song forcefully reaffirms the unity of Christians from all nations around the Resurrection: “all different, we are one, so many colors and languages, living Church, in one Body, we sing again and again: Risen!”. The English version had already been launched at Easter 2023, under the title “Risen So We Will Arise”.
On the left, Johanna Binder
2033, a motivating deadline
Over a convivial aperitif, the 140 participants - including a dozen pastors - heard testimonials from JC2033 ambassadors from various French-speaking cantons on the spread of the Jesus Christ 2033 vision. They also heard from guests from England and Belgium. And via video, witnesses from Pakistan, Tanzania and Argentina were able to relate how the project to celebrate the two thousandth anniversary of Christ's Resurrection in nine years' time is developing in their countries.
A pioneer of Alpha courses and the Jesus.net website, Joseph Hoquet highlighted the fact that having a target date like 2033 inspires churches and Christians to action. “In a disorientated world where the enemy is stealing identity from human beings at a breakneck pace, more and more people will be looking for a new identity. This is precisely what Christ can offer them! But to communicate this truth to them through Christian witness, we need disciples who train disciples; the date 2033 sets a motivating deadline for this!” emphasized the Belgian Christian.
Joseph Hoquet
Without unity, the Body of Christ is and remains handicapped
In the JC2033 project, the centrality of Jesus and the emphasis on the unity of Christians of all denominations is what also excited this former organizational consultant. Ever since he was a teenager, Joseph Hoquet has continuously returned to the text of 1 Corinthians 12, v. 12-27 which presents the Church as a body with its various members. And Joseph Hoquet affirms, “The unity of the body is not an option, but an intense prayer of Jesus. Without unity, the Body of Christ is and remains handicapped. If we agree on the essentials, we must work together so that the world can see Jesus.” According to the Belgian Christian, a first step towards this is to get to know each other in the diversity of our faith expression, to appreciate our common heart devoted to Jesus, and to respect our differences. The second step is to help each other, wherever possible, with our different callings, charisms, means and tools: “The Lord blesses unity and brotherly love. This is what motivates me to build bridges wherever possible”, says Joseph Hoquet.
The example of the canton of Neuchâtel
For Pierre-André Léchot, pastor at the Free Church of La Rochette and JC2033 ambassador for the canton of Neuchâtel, living out unity in concrete terms is a powerful sign of hope. He notes that the JC2033 meeting in Lonay encouraged the development of projects to move forward to 2033 in terms of unity, witness and celebration. In his canton, joint initiatives have been underway for the past two years, such as the cinema screening of the series The Chosen, a partnership between Roman Catholic, Christian Catholic, Orthodox, Reformed and Evangelical churches. Pierre-André Léchot also mentioned the “Meals in the Bible” exhibition, presented in Evangelical, Reformed and Catholic churches. In the near future, “mixed” meals will be organized: a Catholic Christian will invite a Reformed Christian and an Evangelical, for example, to get to know each other, share and encourage each other.
Pierre-André Léchot
A movement destined to grow
“It's a movement that, God willing, will grow a little more each year,” shared Pierre-André Léchot, ”so that in 2033, in the canton of Neuchâtel and - it's my hope and prayer - throughout French-speaking Switzerland, Christians will mobilize widely to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ in every village, town and neighborhood, in a spirit of closeness, unity and hopeful witness. Ambassador JC2033 also points out that a WhatsApp group has been set up to provide concise and accurate information throughout French-speaking Switzerland, and that he is happy to answer any questions.
Sandrine Roulet
