After the discipline of Lent, we now enter the more liberating season of Easter, perhaps the most joyous, yet, ironically, the saddest, season of the Church year. This is the time of year when our faith is put to its biggest test. The possibility than someone should die as a common criminal in agony on a cross, only to rise to new life three days later goes against everything our scientific education tells us. Yet this is what ~2.5 billion people believe (~one third of the world’s population).
It has been said, ‘What is faith but to believe what we do not see?’ Jesus himself, in John’s Gospel said to his disciple Thomas, in a post-resurrection appearance, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’ That blessing extends to Christians today, who have not seen Jesus face to face, as Thomas did, but, nevertheless, believe that Jesus died for them. This is his GRACE (God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense).
We don’t have to do good deeds to be saved (unlike other major World religions), but our response to being saved is to want to do such good deeds. It has also been said, ‘In all relationships of life, faith is worthless unless it leads to action.’ So, Easter is a time to say thank you to Christ for his sacrificial death on the cross, but also a time to respond with gratitude and follow Jesus’ command to ‘love your neighbour.’
Why not join us in St. Mary’s or St. Edith’s over the Easter season for one of our traditional services, or in Tilston Memorial Hall for our Café Church (see posters).
God bless,
Tim and Norma