Everywhere I look there are signs of spring emerging from the ground. The daffodils and snowdrops are lovely in the graveyard. The sun has appeared on a couple of days and it has even been warm (or warmer!). Now not to get too carried away, we are still in the midst of lent, a more sombre period of the church calendar where we reflect on our own relationships both with each other and with God.
During Holy Week there will be services in church on Monday, Tuesday and Maundy Thursday at 7.30pm, Good Friday at 2.00pm, Easter Saturday at 8.00pm and of course Easter Sunday at 10.30am. What will we do with all that time, I hear you ask? Won’t it be boring!!
Well, we will remember and reflect on what Jesus did for us, for you and for me. We tell the old, old, stories harkening back to the oral tradition that kept those stories alive. We reflect on Jesus’ actions, his journey, his anguish and his pain. We shed tears, He shed blood…….
We experience the desolation of Good Friday, the pain of separation on Easter Saturday and the joy of Easter Sunday when He defeats his arch enemy and triumphs as the Tomb is opened.
This one week contains the most dramatic script for a movie you will ever find. It does everything a good movie should do. It has intrigue, mystery, betrayal, even a “loose woman”! It draws you in, it makes you hold your breath, it pierces your heart so that you feel every emotion, and I mean every emotion – shock, horror, failure, confusion, misunderstanding, tenderness, heartbreak, loss, hurt, pain, love and hope and I could go on. It has the most unbelievable ending and is the most incredible story you will ever hear and what’s more it is a story for US – for YOU and for ME.
So I invite you, to think about experiencing this story for yourself, if not every night, then choose wisely and the best three episodes are Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
See you there.
Revd. Sharon