Vicar's Bit For April
Easter, not what one expects
“Mary Magdalene turned round and saw Jesus…. and thinking he was the gardener…” (John 20.14,16) On Easter Day Mary did not recognise Jesus. For Easter is not what one expects. Here is Mary Magdalene; she who had previously lost her way in life, until she found calm and purpose in following Jesus. A forgiven sinner. On this the first day of the week, Mary traumatised by the crucifixion, demoralized and in distress, arrives at the tomb. Mary is the first person to witness the resurrection. Should Mary, in the male-dominated culture of the day, give evidence to her Easter story in a court of law, she would be dismissed. This Easter account you could not make up.
We are living in the time of war. Inflation jumps, lives threatened and lost. It brings back a previous national trauma. During World War II, a painting of the risen Christ with Mary Magdalene, Noli me Tangere, by the sixteenth century artist Titian was London’s most treasured picture. https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/titian-noli-me-tangere For a month in 1942 it was, by public demand, the sole painting on display in the National Gallery. Thousands of the national collection had been removed to Welsh slate mines for safekeeping. It was cherished because, as the bombs fell during the blitz, Londoners found reassurance that love is so strong that it can survive even death.
We are so used to seeing death on our screens, on television and on our social media, that even when the risen Lord looks at us, we cannot see him; in our sadness for our traumatized world we look past our Lord. “Must be someone else” we think. And even when the risen Lord speaks our name, and even when in faith we weakly respond “Teacher”, you have guessed it, no one believes our story. No one expects Easter.
So believe me, if you can, as I greet you and say “Happy Easter”.
Easter Day Services – April 5th
7am Hartpury Church (& breakfast), 9.30am Staunton Church, 11am Tirley Church, 11am Ashleworth Church, 11am Corse Church, 12.15pm Maisemore Church
Benefice Service
We have changed the second Sunday this month due to Easter.
April 12th 11am Tirley Church United Benefice Service Communion
St George’s Day Service
April 26th 11am Maisemore Church – with uniform groups
Baptism
April 26th 1.30pm Staunton Church of Matthew Jarvis, parents Rachel and Simon
Celebration of the past 100 year history of Christenings
April 26th 4pm Hartpury Church – with tea