13 & 20 April 2025
Sometimes at Vicar school we would joke about the fact that wewould be involved in the ‘Hatch, Match and Despatch” process of life and go through all the possible things that could go wrong! Such a daunting and yet privileged position that we are given aspriests, being given the authority to bring God and the Holy Spirit into these rites of passage into the every day. Amazingly this last week, I have married a couple over the age of 70 who have found love in their later years, I have praised God for the life of Barbara Arkley at her funeral being confident that she will now be with God in glory – perhaps with her very special cleaning room and frustrations of life gone.
And then this Sunday we welcome Oliver Webster into our church family along with Mike the bike as he reaffirms his faith and shares his testimony – and what a wonderful week to be doing these things just before Easter. The time where we remember the suffering of Christ, how death swamped him into darkness before He rose again triumphant. Releasing all of us who are guilty of turning our backs on God, to be brought again into relationship and restoration with God.
Baptisms particularly are held at Easter time, as it is a symbolic act that reminds us that we accept that we are sinful. That we need to let go of that sin in order that we can return to the loving relationship of God as it was at the beginning of time.
In the tradition of the Christian East especially, the baptism of Jesus is often shown in icons with Jesus sitting up to his neck in the water, whilst below under the waves are the rive gods of the old world, representing the chaos that is being overcome. So from the very beginning baptism is drawing around itself powerful symbols. Water and rebirth: rebirth as a son or a daughter of God, as Jesus is a son; chaos moving into order.
Baptism is to bring us back to what God intended, that of children who love and worship Him. Who find their identity and selves in Him and in their new family of Christian brothers and sisters in the church. So this Palm Sunday, we will be saying the beautiful words of promise and commitment to follow our Lord. To go with Him to the dark places of the cross on Good Friday, and then on Easter Morning to sing Hosanna as we celebrate the end of death and the risen King, Jesus Christ.
Rev Natasha Thomas
06 April 2025
This Lent, I have been reading Scripture Union’s book of John in 40 days. And I have been struck by how comprehensively Jesus understood who he was, from the moment when He tells his mum his time is not yet – but still turns the water into wine, to His time in the wilderness and facing thetemptations of the devil, to His discussions and altercations with the Jewish leaders to the various times He tells us who He is – I am. The I am of God who came to participate in humanity. The I am the bread of life (6:35), the light of the world (8:12), the door (10:7), the good shepherd (10:11, 14), the resurrection and the life (11:25), the way the truth and the life (14:6) and the true vine. He is both God and man. He is in a trinitarian relationship that is interdependent on the other parts.
He understands, that in order for Him to be who He is called to be, He needs to be dependent on His father. His work and His identity can only be found in God, without this relationship, He could not show us how to be like Him. And that is the call God makes on our lives.
So our challenge is how can we be more Christlike? How can we better follow Him, and begin to take on the call to giving sacrificial love to Him and to others? The starting point is by asking the Holy Spirit to help us. To help us love and to dwell within us. To change us from within. To help us to find our identity in God rather than being distracted away from God, so that we are prevented from loving God and others as Jesus loves us. As we journey towards Easter I pray that we become aware of the things that distract us away from following Him and seek the things that will transform us to be more like Him, so that we may understand more truly who we are and what it means for each one of us to be the adopted children of God.
Rev Natasha Thomas
