On Good Friday Rev. Helen Kirk led an ecumenical service reflecting on the nails that fastened Jesus to the cross. Readings from Mark 15 and Luke 23 by Keith & Jill Harrison and prayers, punctuated by the Taize chant “Remember me when you come into your kingdom,” helped us to focus on the dignity, humiliation, suffering and death of Christ for our sakes.
On Easter morning we celebrated the resurrection of our Saviour. All the symbols of his suffering were removed from our Lenten cross and replaced with daffodils symbolising new life. Rev. Helen read a passage entitled Because he is risen. Everything has changed; now we have hope in life eternal.
John 20, the empty tomb, read to us by Neil Barnett, our organist, evokes a memory of events which promise a God of hope and permanence. We can decide whether we are part of the story. Resurrection defies science but we can make a leap of faith in which all is possible. Mary is the first to realise the significance of the resurrection and rushes to tell others but is not believed. God is with the lowly, lost and marginalised transforming their lives in tangible ways. Accepting his invitation to be part of that will not be comfortable but is where God is.
We shared in Holy Communion and closed with the Grace.