An open tombNo stone at the doorJust a clothLay on the floor The body had goneAn empty spaceWhere the son of godHad laid in this place Raised from the deadScars where he bledHis love still remainsIt always stays the same Jesus shows us the wayTo follow him every dayHowever long we liveOur sins he will…
It was still dark. Almost like a throw away line at the beginning of his account of the resurrection, John – the gospel writer – includes the phrase; ‘it was still dark’. Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark. With nightfall the Sabbath had come to a close and so,…
Christ is risen! Alleluia!
John 19: 38-42 (select verses) Joseph of Arimethea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. He was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who had visited Jesus at night. These two men were prominent members of the Jewish Council, who had both…
Luke 23:32 “When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals – one of his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.” V44 “It was…
A wooden crossOn a hillA man, a JewBetrayedHis pain lingers still The cross he draggedAs people staredHe is guiltyThey declared Outstretched armsNails cruellyDriven into palms A crown of thornsOn his headHe would sufferUntil he was dead. He died for usIn a worldOf unjustAnd mistrust He is our saviourA flame of lightForever and alwaysBurning bright Maureen…
Today, more than almost any other day for me, has always felt poignant and mixture of beginnings and endings. It is the start of the pain at the end of Holy Week, and almost the end of the preparation time of Lent. It is another Passover, a First Communion and a last Communion. It is…
The Wrong Messiah : The real story of Jesus of Nazareth by Nick PageHodder & Stoughton, 2012 313 pages £8.99 ISBN 978 0 340 996 287 A book with the subtitle ‘the real story’ would, almost certainly, raise the suspicion that the author has an axe to grind. That is not so in this case,…
Greeks, seeds and the world – John 12:19-26 Thirty years of life, 3 years of ministry, but the gospels have more detail on the last week of Jesus’s earthly ministry than all the rest. I’m inspired by the different gospel writers who each have their own emphasis and memories. They all begin with the entry to…
Many of the churches in our circuit have a tradition of taking up a special Easter Offering to go to the Methodist Women in Britain (MWIB) Easter Offering Appeal.