Share the Easter Story

Why share the Easter story? Why is it still relevant? There's all sorts of clever people out there that could give all manner of clever and thoughtful answers to this question but for me the answer is simply hope.
I spend most of my time with people struggling to simply get through each day and cope with whatever life has to throw at them. How wonderful then to know that no matter who we are, what we may have done, where we were born and what we do or do not have we have true equality in Jesus.
Thank you for reading my blogs again this Lent, as always I intend to keep blogging but we'll see how that goes! I wish you all a joyous Easter- alleluia!!

Think About The Good Friday Story

I was immersed in the Good Friday story at two very different services; firstly walking through Holy Week at our family service, and secondly the Good Friday liturgy at the hospital chapel.
The shared elements of these services, besides the story itself, was setting time aside to contemplate the things which have hurt us. Good Friday is the perfect time to do this, knowing we can place it all at the foot of the cross.
Culturally we're not very good at embracing sorrow. It's something to be swept away, to be made good again, and in particular we don't often let children face their sadness. Good Friday is the perfect time and space for facing our sadness, nailing it to the cross, and waiting for it to be reborn as joy on Easter Day.

Love One Another

As Christian says to Satine in Moulin. Rouge "Love is a many splendored thing,
Love lifts us up where we belong, all you need is love". Not exactly an up to date reference but that song keeps playing on the communal work ipod, so is very much in my head.
We hear so much about love, mostly in terms of romantic love or familial love, that we often forget how multi-faceted it is. Another quote, from one my favourite bands - James - is "love can mean anything". We're so used in our culture to the word meaning gushy feelings of warmth and loveliness that we forget that love is more of an action than a feeling.
You only truly experience love in loving actions. You may not be feeling particularly warm or lovely towards your fellow man, church family or colleagues but if you act lovingly you are carrying out Jesus' new commandment to love one another. Hopefully warm feelings will follow.

Be More Imaginative

Imagination
is birthless and deathless
It's power
Is inexhaustible

-Sri Chinmoy

I've always had an overactive imagination, which I see as only a good thing and I try to encourage it in my children.
As each Eucharistic prayer is an act of remembrance it can also be an act of the imagination as we try to put ourselves amongst the events. This, after all, is what we do throughout Holy Week. This is never more apparent than at the Good Friday children's service. The imagination that children have to put themselves into this story is wonderful and a skill that we perhaps lose as adults.