Pastor’s Pen
He Is Risen
Dear Friends,
Walking through Holy Week with Jesus for me is helpful if amid the busyness of it all we slow down, do less and realize that this is the holiest time of our Christian calendar. This is why it is called Holy Week because it is set apart for the special purpose to remember the last week of Jesus’ life.
I remember the church in Edinburgh where I joined the Church of Scotland, had an evening service every day during Holy Week. There was Holy Communion on the Thursday evening and as Good Friday was a public holiday, we were able to attend a solemn service on Good Friday afternoon; three hours of meditations based on Jesus’ seven words from the cross. In some towns, there was an ecumenical Walk of Witness through the streets. The police would stop the traffic and a large cross was carried through the streets ahead of the assembled congregations.
Easter Sunday morning broke the silence for us with a dawn service in the church garden, or in one of my churches where there was a bronze age grave on a hill, we would walk up very early for the dawn service before returning for breakfast in the church hall. The later services would follow to complete the Easter Sunday celebrations.
With such an eventful roller-coaster of a week behind them, the first disciples must have been emotionally exhausted and still afraid of a similar fate upon a Roman cross. The Good News of Jesus Resurrection would take a while to sink in and be understood in the coming weeks. Disbelief was understandable especially for those who had not yet seen the Risen Lord Jesus. Thankfully, He would appear to them again over the next forty days to reassure them that it was really Him.
Easter is the climax of the Christian year, and the Resurrection of Jesus gives us hope to face all things because death is not the end, and it has lost its sting. As Edmond Louis Budry puts it in his famous Easter hymn, Thine be the Glory (Thine is the Glory GtG#238),
Lo! Jesus meets us risen from the tomb;
Lovingly He greets us, scatters fear and gloom.
Let the church with gladness hymns of triumph sing,
For the Lord now liveth; death hath lost its sting.
Happy Easter,
Pastor Cliff
Imagine
Dear Friends,
Imagination is a wonderful gift. This week, the Scholastic Book Fair has come again to our children’s school, and it is thrilling to be part of nurturing their excitement for reading and the world of wonder that awaits us in the written word.
As we read about Jesus’ journey to the cross and into Jerusalem, I wonder how you imagine the scene. Jesus’ disciples have borrowed a young beast of burden, a donkey which has never been ridden. His followers lined the streets and joined the procession. Expectant crowds of locals and visiting pilgrims have also swelled the throng whilst looking on are judgmental Pharisees.
And as the story unfolds before us, where do you see yourself? Are you watching and wondering what this is all about? Or are you one of Jesus’ disciples walking behind our Savior and Lord? And even then, what are your expectations of Jesus?
His triumphant entry into Jerusalem, riding on a donkey defied the longings of many in Israel. They expected a mighty king, coming on a chariot of fire to liberate them from their evil oppressor but instead, Jesus came in peace.
And yet, in His gentleness, kindness and compassion, Jesus wielded more power than any earthly warlord because His was an ability to be more than a conqueror. Jesus was offering healing for a fractured nation, acceptance and restoration for the outcasts, forgiveness for all and new life for any who would accept and believe.
There are many nations, communities, and individuals today that need to hear Jesus’ message of salvation. Imagine the healing potential of His power to unite and restore. All of this is possible if we can learn to harness the gift of faith and imagination that God has given us and then turn those thoughts and words into actions to win the ultimate struggle of good versus evil.
Pastor Cliff
St. Patrick
Dear Friends
Every year, we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on March 17 th , the date of his death at
the age of 75. Patrick grew up in Roman Britain in the 4 th Century, kidnapped by
Irish raiders and enslaved until the age of 16. He escaped back to Britain and
became a priest. He felt called in a dream to return to the people of Ireland, and so
asked for permission from his bishop to return to the land of his captivity, to
convert its people from paganism to Christianity.
We are not sure where in Britain he lived. Most historians think he was born and
lived in west Wales, but I have heard that others claim he hailed from Strathclyde
in the southwest of Scotland. Both are a short distance from Ireland and easily
reached.
My own Scottish heritage is intermingled with English and Welsh from my father’s
side of the family and my mother has told me stories about how her great
grandparents migrated to Edinburgh from the west of Scotland and possibly
Ireland. And so, I often wonder if the tints of ginger in my hair came from Ireland.
Certainly, our traditional Scottish music has a Celtic flavor, and many melodies are
common to both Irish and Scottish folk traditions.
Regardless of our background, the festivities of St. Patrick’s Day have a wonderful
way of bringing a smile to our faces, from the music to the costumes and food.
This Sunday, we are serving Shamrock stew after worship. This week, I will be
trying my hand at making some stew. I only hope that it is good enough to serve at
our Shamrock Luncheon So, be sure to stick around for fellowship hour to enjoy
the food and fun of the day.
I close with the most famous part of St. Patrick’s Breastplate,
Christ be with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
Pastor Cliff
Adventures in Faith
Dear Friends,
Bashed, bruised, broken but unbowed, the Youth Group and their brave leaders endured the experience, which some call ice skating. The best skaters go on to play ice hockey, do speed skating or dance. And then there are the rest of us who range from very good to struggling to stay upright. But in spite of the challenges, going ice skating is a teenage rite of passage for many.
The Youth Group team and I have to say, the experience left lasting impressions on many of us. And some of us including myself, probably left one or two imprints on the ice where we fell, slithered, and slid. One adult bruised a knee, another broke a wrist and one escaped only with a sore derriere. But despite our injuries, aches and pains we had great fun, each in our own way as well as a group.
Most of us will never be ice hockey players or figure skaters but it was a new experience for some, a familiar one for others and a trip down memory lane for me. Despite our differences of performance, success or otherwise, we forged that essential esprit de corps you find in a shared struggle of mind over matter, attempting to master or rediscover one of the most unnatural skills known to humanity.
We might not repeat this experience soon, but we come away having learned and grown because we were outside our comfort zone. We went to a place which enabled us to explore new surroundings, new skills and a new or forgotten store of resilience. For a while, we explored another world of possibility.
As Jesus walked with His disciples, they must have felt at times like fish out of water. They were on an adventure of discovery learning and becoming new versions of themselves with Jesus to guide, lead and teach them not only about a new relationship with God but lessons about themselves. The good news is that we do not always need to go on the ice to learn with Jesus, just walk with Him every day.
Pastor Cliff