Churches April 2023

Thought for the month

Three Catholic Priests, two Anglican Priests and a Rabbi went to the Holy Land… no it’s not the start of joke, it really did happen!

Last month I visited the Holy land on a four day Jewish/Christian tour. We didn’t visit the usual Christian sites, but we went off the beaten track to meet people and hear their stories and experiences of living in the Holy Land and the communities that they belong to. 

This month, Christians commemorate the passion, death and resurrection of one of the residents of the Holy Land - Jesus. We celebrate the greatest act of love of God, that he sacrifices his only son to take away our sins. The Easter story doesn’t end in misery, but ends in the glorious splendour of the resurrection, it gives us hope for a bright future.

The Easter Story is also one of hearing the stories and experiences of the early Christians who, at first, didn’t know what to do or where to turn. Jesus changes all of that, he equips them to be bold witnesses of the resurrection and to speak it to the nations. 

In the Acts of the Apostles, we hear of the early Christian community, we hear about their joys and sorrows, their struggles and at times their persecutions. In whatever they faced, they did so with strength and hope that the Lord would be their refuge.

In our life, we can experience joys and sorrows, we can have our ups and downs, but what Easter reminds us of is that there is new life and growth, there is a bright future and hope. It also reminds us that as a community we can support one another along the way; that we can help one another from our own experiences.

May this Easter be a time of real joy and hope for us all, that we may know  winter is (hopefully) far behind us and that we can experience the gift of new life, but that we can also grow in good friendships and the support of those within our community to help us experience what it is to belong and have a sense of fraternity and belonging. May the light of Christ shine in our hearts, our homes and in the village of Longhorsley. 

Father Shaun Purdy, St Thomas of Canterbury

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