Parish Magazine, April / May 2023

Dear Friends

As we approach Holy Week, I would like to invite you all to engage in the drama, the highs and the lows of this most special week in the Church calendar. It starts, of course, with the joy and the hope of Palm Sunday as the crowds welcomed Jesus, the prince of peace into Jerusalem, riding on the back of a donkey. How that divided city still desperately needs the arrival of peace. and justice, this year. But the joy of Palm Sunday soon gives way to the darkness of Maundy Thursday as Jesus is betrayed by Judas, arrested in Gethsemane, and denied by Peter. It gets even worse, of course, as Jesus is crucified on the cross on Good Friday and his body is removed and sealed in a tomb. Any signs of hope are truly dead and buried. And yet…and yet death doesn’t have the last word. Jesus is raised to new life on Easter Sunday, and fresh joy and hope are given again.

I think that throughout our lives we too experience something of the highs and lows, the emotions that are connected with Holy Week. Those moments of great joy at a wedding, the birth of a child, the passing of an exam, the gaining of a new job. But we also know those moments of sadness and despair – the breakdown of a relationship, being made redundant, the death of a loved one. This week therefore mirrors something of our experience as human beings. The good news for us though is that whatever the highs and the lows we may face in our lives, God is with us. And He is the one who is able to transform even the darkest situation into something that can be used for good.

So do come and join us in our Holy Week and Easter services this year. Don’t simply move from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday but join us on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Eve to make the week even more meaningful.

With my best wishes and prayers for a very Happy Easter when it comes.

Jeremy Tear

Pioneer Team Rector