Dear Friends,
This is the day of Resurrection. Christ is Risen – He is risen indeed! What a joy it is to be able to worship together on this special day! What a joy it is to be able to welcome visitors into our fellowship. What a joy it is to be able to welcome young people who want publicly to profess their faith in the Risen Christ. What a joy it is to be able to celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Communion together. If you are a visitor, please do share with us, for Christ invites all his people to sit at the table with him.
Easter Day is such a joyous day, for on that first Easter Day, when the disciples thought that all was lost, the Risen Christ came to them, and so the news began to spread that death had been swallowed up in victory. It was a pivotal day in the history of the world, for nothing would ever be the same again as the gate of heaven had been opened to all believers through the Risen Christ.
There is an old legend of a priest who found a branch of a thorn tree twisted around so that it resembled a crown of thorns. Thinking it a symbol of the crucifixion, he placed it on the altar of his chapel on Good Friday. Early on Easter morning he remembered what he had done, and feeling that a crown of thorns was not appropriate for Easter Sunday, he hurried to the church to clear it away before the congregation arrived. But when he went into the church, he found the thorn branches blossoming with beautiful roses. New life. What better illustration of the Easter message could there be?
As we look about us, we see new life in nature all about us as the green shoots rise from the ground and the buds burst and the blossom comes on the trees. We see more new life as we gradually and carefully emerge from the restrictions of the past two years. And today let us pray that we will soon see more new life for those involved in the war in Ukraine and that hostilities will soon be brought to an end, for Easter is all about new life.
Christ is Risen – he is Risen indeed! A very Happy Easter to you all.
With love and blessings,
Marion
Categories: Minister's Blog