The congregation have been given a
new banner which is now hanging in
our church building.
When Noah and his family came out
of their confinement in the Ark, God
told them that the rainbow in the sky
was a reminder of his power to save
and of his goodness and mercy. The
rainbow is a symbol of God’s love
and his promise of a new beginning
and a better world.
You can read about Noah and the
rainbow in Genesis chapters 6-8. It is a strange time. We are all having to cope both with
the fear of Coronavirus and with the problems of
isolation and often loneliness. There is the frustration of
not being able to do the things we want to do or to see
the people we want to see.
‘Lockdown’ was quickly followed by Palm Sunday, Holy
week and Easter Sunday. The celebrations surrounding
Easter were very different this year.
We are told that Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, “Father, if
you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will,
but yours be done.” He went through the emotional mill
in Gethsemane. Jesus’ followers deserted him and he
died alone on the cross. He was very much alone. He
even felt that God the Father had abandoned him.
As we all know Jesus the Son of God went to the cross as
God’s plan to bring forgiveness and salvation. Jesus was
however fully human and it would be wrong to think he
did not experience the things that all people feel. It
would be wrong to think he did not experience the
things that you and I are feeling right now.
But the cross was not the end. On the third day he rose
to life. After that, over a period of 40 days, he appeared
to various people. On Easter Sunday he spoke to Mary Magdalene outside
his tomb. That evening he joined two people walking
from Jerusalem to the nearby village of Emmaus. When
they realised it was Jesus they ran back to Jerusalem to
tell the disciples. The disciples told them that Jesus had
appeared to Peter. Then Jesus came and stood among
them. A week later he appeared to the disciples again
while they were hiding behind closed doors in fear. After
some of the disciples had gone fishing, Jesus spoke to
them. He appeared to a large crowd on one occasion.
The risen Jesus Christ in all his power and glory comes to
all who will receive him. The human Jesus who has
endured loneliness, fear and suffering comes to us. They
are one and the same. There is only one Jesus Christ.
Jesus took our humanity and redeemed us, he is the
eternal and unchanging God, he was dead and now lives
forever. He comes to all who seek him.
Christ knows exactly how you feel – for he is God and
knows all things. Christ understands exactly how you
feel – for he has experienced the human condition. He
promises all who truly seek him that they will find him,
and he promises to all who find him the peace that only
he can give. May you know he is with you today. Drew Barrie. (If you would like to print a copy of the news letter then a PDF can be found below) |
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