Thank you to those of you who have expressed appreciation for the Holy Week Services this year. It was a very special time and those who took the Holy Week Journey found that Easter had a deeper meaning.

In many ways it was an intensive time and the great ‘high’ of Easter Day itself has now given way to a quieter reflection of what the Resurrection means for all our lives.

This year we are doing something unusual to aid that reflection and on Tuesday we hold the first of 3 ‘Court cases’ when the evidence for the Crucifixion, Resurrection and Ascension will be presented in the form of a court case with judge and jury. You are invited to be the Jury and to reflect together on the evidence presented.

It is novel and imaginative and I hope that people will come along to share in this continuation of the Easter Celebration. (I sometimes wonder if a personal invitation from the Rector is less of an incentive and more a put-off so I would love to be proved wrong!

Eastertide is a wonderful season not only because it often coincides with Spring and the signs of new birth all around us but also because it is a time to spend with our Risen Lord as he announces the joy and fulfilment of God’s plan for human destiny in a series of marvellous encounters with the disciples. The Easter Story is a great celebration and an opportunity for our faith to really Come Alive in a very special way.

We are, after all, Easter People who draw strength and purpose from the Risen Christ who opens our hearts to immense possibilities. We are no longer limited because eternal life has been made available to us and we are called to live as Redeemed people who really believe in the promises of Jesus that we shall always be with Him and He with us—to the end of time, is His promise. This should make a huge difference to our lives.

Inspired by the Taizé community, a young Christian once wrote:

Christ comes, Again and again he comes walking into our today
challenging us, leading us, loving us
into responding anew to His Call….
The Easter Christ: dead and risen,
invites us to leap across the barriers into the tomorrow of the Church:
with doors flung open, a place of sharing for all, with all.
He comes that we might live to dream with daring,
and pray with hope for a potency that creates into reality
a decent life for all -

A risen life filled with infinite joy and possibility. That what it means to live as Easter People and to celebrate all that God offers us through our Risen Lord.