April 2009

VICAR: The Revd. Martin Fredriksen Tel: 694109

PARISH OFFICE (Mondays to Fridays 9.30am - Noon) Tel: 697641

FROM THE VICAR: The Christian faith is unique, not least for the fact that we believe that God himself came down to earth in the person of Jesus Christ – but also that through pain, suffering, death and ultimately resurrection, we may have forgiveness of our sins and the reward of eternal life.

Some other religions have an inspiration for the individual to strive towards personal perfection, but none of them have a Saviour to make up for our failures, when we do not reach these goals.

The plan of salvation is shown to work its way out in the events of Holy Week and the Liturgy of the Church helps us to understand this. Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday with the crowds welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem, thinking that he would be the one to drive out the occupying Roman imperial machine.

Their attitudes change drastically by Thursday of that week (Maundy Thursday) when the Christian family celebrates the Last Supper and the time of our Lord Jesus spent in the Garden of Gethsemane before his arrest and trial – though to his Crucifixion and burial on Good Friday with the proclamation of his Resurrection on Easter Eve (Holy Saturday) into Easter Sunday. The Liturgy is continuous and covers three days (the Triduum in Latin) with breaks between.

Details are given on the front cover and all the other services of Holy Week are on the Church Newsletter and the noticeboards.

If you have never experienced worship other than on Easter Sunday itself, I encourage you to try something extra this year – particularly the wonderful Liturgy of Easter Eve at which fire and candles are blessed, biblical readings proclaimed, baptism promises renewed and the First Communion of Easter received.

May yours be a truly blessed Holy Week and a joyful Eastertide.

Martin Fredriksen.

 

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