After the events of the past year, are we afraid to embrace joy? To try to encapsulate the feelings and emotions of the last year, it is perhaps safe to say it has been one of great contrasts. Alongside the darkness of fear and grief, as the virus took its toll, there have also been many glints of light. Generosity has abounded, hope found in effective vaccines, and many heroic acts of courage with numerous people reaching out to show support for others in need. In many ways

John 20v1-18 Long before the Gospel writers told the Easter stories of the empty tomb and the appearances of the risen Jesus, St Paul wrote his letters to the church, however they do not include those stories – no empty tomb, no upper room and the reason is that he wasn’t concerned with the when? or where? or even the how? Paul was concerned with reality of the experience in the present. ‘All I want to know is Christ and the power of his risen life.’ Philippians 3v10. Paul’s

John 19v38-42 The day after Good Friday is often a quiet thoughtful day for the Christian believer. In the Bible, there a number of occasions when God seems to be absent – Moses seeing God only through the clouds, Job wondering where God is when it hurts in life, and the disciples rowing across the lake and wondering why Jesus had left them to perish in the big waves. The portion of scripture for today informs us of two of Jesus’ disciples dealing with the death of the one th

Mark 15v33-41 There is a temptation on this special day to move swiftly over the agonising picture of the suffering and death of Jesus and reassure ourselves with the knowledge of a happy ending two days later. However, the impact of Good Friday can be lost if we move too quickly to the promise of the resurrection. We need to dwell on the dreadful picture of this day, not just its true meaning in terms of our spiritual salvation but its connection to the injustices of the wor

Luke 23v32-43 Good Friday reminds us that our God is a God who enters our darkness and our sinfulness but is not overcome by it. We cannot plead innocence in this world as everyday people are beaten, tortured, and killed, with the needless suffering of many. The cross of Jesus’ death shows us most clearly our own alienation from God. As the apostle John wrote in his letter to the church – ‘If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.’ The reality

John 13v1-17 The Thursday in Holy Week is called ‘Maundy’ from the Latin word ‘mandatum’ which means ‘commandment.' We are reminded of Jesus’ words - ‘a new commandment I give you, love one another.’ Jesus demonstrated this commandment by washing his disciples’ feet, stressing on this day a theme of love and service. Another theme on this particular day was the institution of the Lord’s supper which happened in the upper room, as Jesus explained the symbols of bread and wine

John 13v33-38 Of all the disciples, Peter was one of the three closest to Jesus – a personal friend not just a follower; he was a man of strong conviction and was the first to declare that Jesus was the Messiah. Peter was also the one who got out of the boat and walked on the water, as well as defending Jesus at his arrest by attacking one of the guards with a sword. Peter’s impulsiveness was both his strength and his weakness – he lived out his beliefs with passion but had h

John 12v1-8 After Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, he stayed with his friends Lazarus, Martha and Mary and no doubt spent a quiet day away from the crowds, having time to relax. One of the big lessons in life that we all need to learn, is that when we are tired and stressed, it is necessary to take a break and recharge the batteries rather than work longer and sleep less. A great gift in life is friendship and to spend time with our friends is a valuable way unwinding and relaxin

Mark 11v15-19 Monday is often a difficult day for many, as a new working week starts after a relaxing weekend. The common perception of Christians is that they don’t get angry or feel passionate about anything – meekness has often been mistranslated to mean weakness! All four gospels record the story of Jesus clearing the temple on the day following his entry into Jerusalem. Temple worship involved giving sacrifices – sometimes of money in the right currency and sometimes of

A KING ON A DONKEY Mark 11v1-11 Jerusalem was now full of pilgrims who had travelled to celebrate the Passover Festival. As Jesus approached the city, he was given a royal welcome with the crowds shouting their support and waving branches as he passed by. However, this was surely no messianic statement, as the Roman authorities would have quickly arrested Jesus due to the tense times of their occupation. A public display of this kind was completely out of character with every

This Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week - the last week of Lent leading up to Easter Sunday and the time when Christians commemorate the last week of Jesus' life. Palm Sunday, the day we remember having pretend play swords in church, or learning how to do origami with a dried leaf. A story about a donkey and leaves and coats on the ground! These were my recollections (Perhaps yours too) of what Palm Sunday meant - growing up as a child. It is if course much more! Images