The space in between

Sitting in the space in between the sadness of Good Friday and the celebration of Easter Sunday, Easter Saturday always seems like a day in search of a purpose. Few churches mark it.

Easter weekend in the secular world is a time for short breaks, DIY projects and gardening. Traffic chaos on the roads here in the South West is a feature of this and every other bank holiday weekend. Our neighbour is busy building a patio. Gardens are being made ready for the arrival of bedding plants and the sowing of seeds. For those in full time work the long weekend is a wonderful opportunity to get on top of household jobs.

In all probability, it was much the same for Jesus' disciples on the first Easter Saturday. It was the Jewish Sabbath, a day for being with family and meeting with others of the faith but for non Jews it was just a normal day as it is for most in contemporary Britain. The disciples had scattered following Jesus' death and presumably most went home to keep the Sabbath. It must have been a crushingly difficult day.

However we pass the space between Good Friday and Easter Day we do so looking forward in hope. Tomorrow our churches will ring with alleluias as we proclaim the good news that "Christ is Risen!" Many will come to church on this day who rarely make it to other services. Some will have returned to family and will celebrate with them. It will be a joyous occasion.

An Easter Prayer

When everything was dark and it seemed that the sun would never shine again,

your love broke through.

Your love was too strong, too wide, too deep for death to hold.

The sparks cast by your love dance and spread and burst forth with resurrection light.

Gracious God, we praise you for the light of new life made possible through Jesus.
We praise you for the light of new life that shone on the first witnesses of resurrection.
We praise you for the light of new life that continues to shine in our hearts today.

We pray that the Easter light of life, hope and joy, will live in us each day;
and that we will be bearers of that light into the lives of others.

Amen.

(Revd Michaela Youngson, Superintendent Minister of the Ealing Trinity Circuit)

Palms of Victory

Tomorrow is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. In what is for us the final week of Lent, Jesus began the journey that would lead him to his death on Good Friday. The contrast between the joyful celebration of Palm Sunday and the despair of Good Friday is a stark one.

In later Christian tradition the palm branch became a symbol of the martyrs. Picking up ancient imagery of the palm branch as a symbol of victory / peace / triumph / eternal life, martyrs were often portrayed bearing a palm branch as a symbol of the victory of the spirit over the flesh.

Palms of victory, a hymn more popular in the country music world than in churches, draws on that tradition. With lyrics inspired by John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress the writer describes the journey of a Wayworn Traveller to his final spiritual victory. Struggling through life the weary traveller looks to the time when Deliverance will come!

This week we have once again been reminded of the horrors inflicted on many in our world. Syrians have endured both a chemical incident and US shelling to add to the misery of the long running civil war. In Stockholm a lorry was driven into a department store killing and wounding civilians. Deliverance from the violence of this world seems but a distant hope as we approach Easter this year.

How long, O Lord, how long?

The Boat Races and a bomb

Boat Races between Oxford and Cambridge have taken place on the Thames since 1829.

An annual event since 1865, yesterday's race was the 163rd in the series. But the race almost didn't happen. On Saturday a passing sailor reported seeing a WW2 bomb near the start point. The situation was resolved early on Sunday morning and the race went ahead. 

A national tradition with a long history, this annual competition between teams from the England's two top universities has held the public imagination. There have been changes - since 2015 The Boat Race has become The Boat Races. Television coverage, sponsorship and the addition of the women's race to the main event have altered the shape but not the main focus of the competition. Adaptability to an ever changing context has ensured the longevity of this very British annual event.

When it comes to religious belief, change and adaptability are equally important but are often controversial. In our time, the Christian Church has struggled to accept both the ministry of women and changing views on marriage. In first century Palestine, Jewish religious leaders were concerned to ensure the keeping of the Sabbath and adherence to The Law. Their inability to see beyond these external marks of faith to what lies behind was the main point of conflict with Jesus.

Christians in today's secular west face similar challenges to the Jews of Jesus' time. Traditions that developed in a context where a single religion was central to national identity are no longer fit for purpose.

Like the WW2 bomb removed from the Thames yesterday perhaps some relics of the past

should be removed to prevent damage to the faith that lies behind.