A letter from the Vicarage – Rev’d Andy Stand

Hi Everyone,

How are we all doing? I hope and pray that you are all keeping well and still enjoying the Easter season.

At the time of writing we are still in the first week of Easter and I hope you enjoyed our Easter Services last weekend, whether you were with us to greet the dawn (and enjoy the breakfast!) at the sunrise service, or joined the worship at St. Mark’s or Whittington later in the morning.

The Easter season will run throughout May this year until the feast of Pentecost, that marks the 50th day after Easter and as, this year of course, Easter Day was almost as late as it can be, we won’t actually get to Pentecost until next month – 8th June!

Some words from an American Bishop, Barbara Harris (1930-2020) dropped in to my in box this week:

We are Easter people and we are supposed to be different. … Easter people are believers. We believe not only into the possible, we believe also in the impossible. We believe that the lame were made to walk, and the mute made to speak, that lepers were cleansed and the blind received their sight. … We can believe also that with the helpful presence of God’s Holy Spirit, we are strengthened and sustained on our earthly pilgrimage. Further, we can believe that we can fashion new lives committed to love, to peace, to justice and to liberation for all God’s people.

Easter people grieve … and get angry … but we must seek to channel that anger in constructive ways. Be angry enough to say and to seriously mean, I will commit my life to … seeking and serving Christ in all persons, loving my neighbour as myself, striving for justice and peace among all people, respecting the dignity of every human being.

I don’t know about you but I found those words quite challenging as I read them. How do we live up to being Easter people in this sense?

Part of the ‘seeking and serving Christ in all persons’, might be achieved in our support for Christian Aid Week – 11th – 17th May. I encourage you, if you are able, to support their work via their website: www.christianaid.org.

Equally, might another part of ‘seeking and serving Christ in all persons’, be to join the Church Council (PCC) and/or take on other jobs that will assist the smooth running of services and make a contribution to our service to the wider parish and community. Our Annual Meetings at which the PCC is elected take place this month: (Whittington – 11th; St. Mark’s – 18th). All are welcome to attend those meetings

Towards the end of the Easter season, we will celebrate the feast of the Ascension (Thursday May 29th), with a Deanery service at Hallow Church (7.00 p.m.). I encourage as many of you as are able to attend this service.

Wishing you all a continuing Happy and Blessed Easter.

Every blessing, Andy