The Curate writes………
I sit down to begin this letter on the evening of Low Sunday, as I reflect upon Holy Week and Easter Week which have just passed.
In my sermon on Palm Sunday I spoke about the importance of following the Christian year and particularly the highs and lows of Holy Week, when in one extraordinary week Jesus goes from entering Jerusalem as a king, to the crowds turning against him, followed by his trial and crucifixion, then his rising again on that first Easter Day. I remarked that in order to appreciate fully the highs of Easter Sunday, one must first experience the lows of Good Friday.
Low Sunday gets its name from the fact that it is a Sunday where we return to some sort of normality after the highs of Easter Day and because attendance at Church tends to be lower than normal and certainly less than on Easter Sunday.
As I look back at the various services we have had at St. Cross over this period there are really no lows: yes, the services reflected the solemnity which would be expected on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday but the overwhelming feeling at our Church is one of a congregation who lovingly come together to worship and who are always ready to welcome a newcomer.
Meanwhile, beyond our Church Community, the troubles of the world have continued and two particular lows for me have been the burning of Notre-Dame Cathedral, and of course the terrible terrorist outrage in Sri Lanka. We are left to pray for all those affected by the terrorist outrage which occurred on Easter Sunday, and to look forward to that day when God “will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more….” (Revelation 21:4)
As Paul mentioned in his sermon on Easter Sunday, despite all the damage caused by the fire in Notre- Dame, amazingly the golden cross was still prominent through the smoke and debris, giving us hope that not only will Notre-Dame be restored but also hope in our own lives that when we are in desolation and darkness we can rely on our Lord Jesus to be standing strong with us. While we await the Festival of Pentecost, which brings the season of Easter to a close, may I wish you all continued blessings for this Easter season.
Yours in Christ ,
Simon
