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April 2021 Letter
Dear Friends,
April Letter
2021
He is risen!
Many people think of Christmas as
being the ‘big one’ for the church, and despite being really significant it
falls a long way behind Easter as the most important celebration of the year.
The period before Easter that we
call Lent, can be a gift of time to us, to take a hard look at ourselves and be
honest about our shortcomings and then make a conscious effort to change in
readiness to meet the risen Christ on Easter morning. Some people do this by
‘giving up’ something that they enjoy, and others by ‘taking up’ something
which is challenging or difficult or requires a discipline of commitment.
The week before Easter, known as
Holy week starts on the Sunday with Palm Sunday celebrations as we recall
Jesus’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
Things rapidly change and the roller coaster of emotions intensifies, so
that by Thursday we are marking the last supper, the arrest in the garden of
Gethsemane, and the stripping of the altars, removing all the symbols and
adornments from the church. Good Friday sees the crucifixion and the emptiness
of the worlds light, continuing through Holy Saturday, until the evening when
we hold the vigil, recalling Gods creation and deeds which reached fulfilment
in Jesus.
It can be a dark time, before the
dawn of the very best light.
Reflecting on this I can’t help but
make connections with this last year of trials and tribulations, of fear and
loss, or reduced freedoms and isolations. I’m sure that we have all learnt a
lot about ourselves, and how we deal with these unusual circumstances. For many
this has been a time of deep darkness and difficulty, but we must never forget
that there has been so much new light shining through as well.
Let’s not forget the sacrificial
actions of so many to keep us safe, healthy, fed and watered. The emergence of
new friendships and closer relationships with neighbours and former strangers
as we each looked out for each other, and when we asked ‘how are you?’ we
actually really wanted to know and paid attention to the answer.
My parents, both Londoners and in
their late teens when the war broke out, would probably have referred to it as
the ‘spirit of the blitz’. They would often tell me of the strength of
community spirit, the shared enemy and the acts of quiet generosity and kindness
that were demonstrated day after day.
Each small act bringing a light of hope into another persons life.
As we approach Easter this year
there is a real hope that we can see the dawning of new freedoms and a new
beginning. I for one do not want to
return to the old ‘normal’ if that means going backwards to how things were
before March 2020, I want a new normal that retains all the good that we have
found in each other, where neighbours and strangers alike, look out for each
other simply because we are fellow ‘humans’ and if we have learnt anything then
it has to be that this is more important than ‘all the other stuff’ that used
to be the main focus.
As Christians we believe that Jesus
came that we might have life, and that we might live it in all its fullness.
This is not just a gift for ourselves as we are charged with sharing that gift
of love with the world in all that we do.
We don’t always get it right, but we keep on trying and we have each
other to support and help each other on the way.
During the Easter vigil service on
Saturday evening ( 3 April 2021 at 8pm St Mary’s), I am privileged to be the
one to announce that Easter has begun with the words “Alleluia he is
risen”. I fully expect that the normal
joy felt at this moment will be magnified this year as the sense of hope and
new beginnings will be even more tangible than ever.
You would of course be most welcome
to join us, and share in that joy, but always know that we are there and are
praying for you.
May you know the love of the risen
Christ this Easter.
The Reverend Su Tarran