The Vicar Writes
April 2010
A Celebration of Life
Dear Friends,
"A Celebration of Life" just about sums up what we are up to as a parish this month. At the beginning of April we are celebrating Easter: the great festival of life! At the end of the month and into May we hold our "Celebration of Life" flower festival.
Easter
"We proclaim Christ crucified," says St. Paul in I Corinthians 1, "a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles." People were expecting different things of the Messiah, the Lord's anointed, but no one had expected him to die as a criminal to show God's love for his people. This made no sense to the Jews or to the Gentiles, and the early Church had to work hard to help people to see how God was at work in that. They also had to work hard to convince people that this crucified saviour had also been raised from the dead.
The danger for our generation is that it can believe that Jesus of Nazareth was a good man who was crucified, but not the Lord who was raised in a real way from the dead. We can think that with our grasp of science and enlightened view of reality, it is more difficult to believe that a man could be raised to life from death. The thing is that it was no easier for people in those early days of the church. What those early Christians were so convinced about is not something that usually happens.
Easter proclaims the good news that what could never have been expected really did happen and changed the world for ever. With God, life was seen to be stronger than death, stronger than all those forces that would try to diminish it and spoil it. Often there are good reasons for doubting this: natural disasters, wars and conflicts, personal tragedies and trials. But Easter gives us a glimpse of the end of the story and assures us that ultimately life as God intends it will overcome.
In chapter ten of St. John's Gospel, Jesus speaks of himself as The Good Shepherd. "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep" (Verse 11). And he did! But he also says that unlike the false thieves and bandits who come only to steal and kill and destroy the sheep, he came that "they may life, and have it abundantly" (verse 10).
The gift of life that we celebrate at Easter, then, isn't just about heaven when we die. It is also about a better quality of life here and now. As G.W Briggs wrote,
Now is eternal life,
if risen with Christ we stand,
in him to life reborn,
and holden in his hand;
no more we fear death's ancient _ dread,
in Christ arisen from the dead.
And in the final verse of that well-known hymn, inspired by St. Paul in Romans 8, he wrote,
Unfathomed love divine,
reign thou within my heart;
from thee nor depth nor height,
nor life nor death can part;
my life is hid in God with thee,
now and through all eternity.
Trusting in the Good Shepherd's care and love for us, and following Christ's example for living, really does make a positive difference to life now. Hopefully, through us, that benefit is felt by the people and communities around us.
Flower Festival
Our flower festival opens on the evening of Thursday, 29th April and carries on until the end of Monday, 3rd May. Funds raised by it will be shared between the Church and St. Theresa's Hospice. So, hopefully this will be a good example of how others can benefit from us enjoying life in its fullness!
The floral displays, to be arranged by Darlington Flower Club members, promise to be spectacular: some stands are fifteen feet high and were used at Westminster Abbey. The displays explore aspects of life that are worth celebrating; including birth and marriage, and some of the church's feasts. Celebrations from different parts of the world will also feature.
Not taking it for granted
It is so easy to take life for granted, isn't it? Our Easter celebrations and the Flower Festival both remind us that it is a precious gift from God and that he wants us to make the most of it at every stage. In the difficult patches the Good Shepherd does care for his sheep, even if it does not seem obvious at the time. But in the good times we need to remember to say 'thank you' to him and to celebrate the gift of abundant life.
The Annual Parochial Church Meeting
An annual meeting doesn't sound like the sort of thing that we associate with abundant life, but that is exactly what it is. Held on Wednesday 21st April at 7.30pm in Church (details can be found elsewhere in this Parish Magazine), the meeting gives us an opportunity to hear about how God has blessed the life of All Saints and Salutation over the last year: a cause for celebration. It also gives us the opportunity to elect the officers who will help in the leadership of the church over the coming twelve months.
By making the effort to attend, you will be encouraging those who work hard for God through this parish.
The churchwardens, readers, retired clergy and I wish you a very happy Easter.
John