Ministers Message April ’21
Dear Friends
In past years we would have gathered together for Holy Week and Easter day services in the church. As this is not entirely possible, our services in the next few weeks will be a combination of Zoom and physical services in the church. I am delighted to say that the young people of JAM will be leading Wednesday’s Holy Week service and on Maundy Thursday everyone is invited to come together, virtually in the church, and on Zoom from home, to remember the events of the upper room on the night before Jesus died. Those who join from home are asked to bring their own bread and wine for Maundy Thursday communion. Clarkston Churches Together has prepared a walk which can take place at any time during Good Friday. A small act of worship will be posted at each churches site. Our Easter Sunday service will take the form of a combined physical and online service. Further details of all these acts of worship are contained elsewhere in Good Neighbour.
The story of Easter morning as told by John’s gospel tells of the darkness that remained as resurrection began. John’s Easter story begins with the words, ‘Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed.’ The mention of darkness is a part of John’s approach to show that the Resurrection took place in the darkness that lingered before the morning. God didn’t wait for the sun to rise to bring hope. God didn’t wait for the grief to pass before bringing new life. God’s resurrection power was at work even when it couldn’t yet be seen.
Our Holy week and Easter commemorations come at the end of what has been a very tough year for many people. Although the vaccine programme brings hope for the future, there are still hard times to come as people face the effects of a Pandemic that has wreaked havoc throughout the world. Amidst this, may we discover the strength and the hope to believe that God still accompanies us through the darkness of these days; that faith is still possible; that understanding will come and that the voice of our risen Lord still keeps calling out to each one of us by name. Let us trust that nothing will ever separate us from the God who continues to reveal through the life, death and resurrection of His Son, an everlasting love for us and this world. So may we continue to walk together living and loving into the sure and certain hope that Christ is Risen. He is Risen indeed!
Yours,
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