Tonight’s family service had the theme ‘Resurrection!’ (what else could we talk about on Easter Sunday?!), and there is a sense in which it’s perfect to have Easter Sunday on April Fool’s Day as we contemplate the foolishness of God being wiser than human wisdom! (see 1 Cor 1:18-25) The resurrection is no hoax, though, and is the basis of the confidence and hope we have as Christians that Christ’s sacrificial death has been accepted by God and we are now reconciled to God, our sins forgiven and new life given to us.

The amazing thing about the resurrection is that Jesus proclaimed he was ‘the resurrection and the life’ (John 11:25) long before He was raised from the dead. The story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-44) gives us a demonstration of His power during His lifetime, but also shows us how to live with doubt, uncertainty and unbelief, because Jesus was not daunted by the situation of Lazarus dying in the way that everyone else was. He knows all about suffering and sorrow (see Is 53:3, Heb 4:15-16) and His own experience on the cross shows us clearly that there is no escape from these in this world. However, Good Friday is not the end of the story. Jesus rose from the grave to demonstrate His complete mastery over death, sin and the devil, and we can therefore have hope in the darkest of situations, for we serve a risen Saviour. ‘I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.’ (Rev 1:18)

So what? What difference does it make that Jesus is alive?

1. It reminds us that God is powerful – if He is strong enough to raise Jesus from the dead, He is strong enough to sort out all the chaos in our lives.
2. It gives us hope that whilst we might be lost in the mystery of life at the moment, unable to see what God is doing or how things can possibly be worked out for good, He is able to make a way where there is no way, since to Him the future is already a memory because He’s already there. (‘Already There’)
3. It provides us with an anchor for our souls, giving us stability and security in an ever-shifting world of uncertainty and doubt.
4. It gives us purpose because Jesus has entrusted us with a job to do, going into all the world and making disciples of all nations. (Matt 28:18-20)
5. It gives us access to life – life that overflows with joy and hope (John 10:10), life that is everlasting (John 3:16).

The gospel accounts of the Resurrection are all the more powerful for not being a neatly packaged narrative. They tell the story as it was: confused, fearful disciples who were not expecting Jesus to rise from the dead (despite His many predictions!), faithful women who were nonetheless weighed down with worry (how on earth were they going to move that stone away?!), erratic behaviour, joy mingled with doubt and uncertainty. As we read the Easter story, we can’t help but reflect that this is often how we are too. Doubt, fear, uncertainty and worry are mingled with faith, joy, hope and security in so many aspects of our lives.

In John 20:1-18, we see three followers (Peter and John, and Mary Magdalene) learn of the stupendous news of Jesus’s resurrection. Mary is heartbroken to find the tomb empty, believing that someone has stolen the body of her Lord. She certainly doesn’t see the empty tomb as a proof of resurretion, and even though Peter and John see and believe, they return home without that belief apparently filtering through to their behaviour in any way. Even when Mary subsequently encounters two angels and Jesus Himself, she is not reassured, taking Jesus to be the gardener or caretaker. It takes the personal touch – Jesus calling her by name – before she realises who He is.

Jesus appeared to groups of people after the resurrection (see 1 Cor 15:6), but many of the gospel narratives focus on the individual approach: Jesus speaking to Mary, Jesus speaking restoration to Peter, Jesus walking with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, Jesus taking the time to come back to reassure Thomas of His resurrection. There is much encouragement for us in realising that Jesus cares about the strugglers and the stragglers! We can also be reassured that God knows each one of us by name and is able to speak to us with that personal touch which makes all the difference. When Jesus speaks our name, He deals with doubt and despair, with the shame of sin and the weight of condemnation. He provides a real and living encounter with a real and living Saviour.

Easter Sunday reminds us that we serve a risen Saviour who is on the loose and who knows our name! Don’t settle for anything less than that personal encounter with Jesus.

We walked from Sacred Heart church across Phoenix Park to arrive at Thurnscoe Pentecostal Church for ‘Messy Church’ craft activities:

We then moved on to St Helen’s Church Hall to watch ‘So On & So 4th’ from 4FrontTheatre, a very funny series of sketches which looked at the life of Jesus, His death and how the church is made up of imperfect people who are all loved and valued by God.

After lunch, we watched part of a film based on John’s Gospel at Goldthorpe Pentecostal Community Church:

We then went to the Parish Church on Lockwood Road to learn about the Stations of the Cross, ably explained by Fr Carl Schaefer:

From there, we walked to Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, where we took part in a service of quiet contemplation and worship from Taize:

‘Everybody’s welcome at the table,’ 4FrontTheatre told us in one of their excellent (eggsellent) sketches at St Helen’s Church Hall, and that sums up the whole Good Friday Church Crawl. Everyone was welcome, no matter how we celebrated Good Friday. The death of Jesus unites Christians from all denominations (and there was a very funny song in the production ‘So On & So 4th’ about denominations!) because it is only through that sacrificial death that we are reconciled to God and to each other. Paul tells us that ‘God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation’ (2 Cor 5:19) and it was great to be able to pass on that message as we explored different Christian traditions.

The Church Crawl started with a service at Furlong Road Methodist Church after we had prepared the chocolate eggs, daffodils and leaflets for distribution.

We then moved on to lunch and crafts at the Salvation Army, where volunteers prepared turkey sandwiches and other snacks for us.

Don’t forget the Good Friday Church Crawl tomorrow (Friday 30th March), from 10.30 a.m. onwards.

This is an opportunity to explore different Christian traditions (from crafts to liturgical worship, from film interpretations of the Crucifixion to live theatre productions, from music to icons representing the journey of Jesus to the cross) and also to witness to our communities of the hope we have in Jesus Christ and to communicate the joy and generosity of our Lord through the giving of gifts. As we walk from church to church – itself a march of witness as we wear our yellow sashes and give out chocolate eggs (symbolising new life), and daffodils (a sign of God’s wonderful spring life) along with literature about Easter, we are testifying to the fact that there is one church, however many buildings we represent! Please do join with us in this wonderful expression of unity, exploration and faith.

Below is the approximate timings for the day:

1. 10.30 a.m. Service at Furlong Road Methodist Church (Bolton-on-Dearne)
2. 11.45 a.m. Lunch & crafts at the Salvation Army (Straight Lane, Goldthorpe)
3. 12.45 p.m. FIlm & worship at Goldthorpe Pentecostal Community Church (Market Street, Goldthorpe)
4. 1.20 p.m. Stations of the Cross at the Parish Church (Lockwood Road, Goldthorpe)
5. 1.40 p.m. Sung worship at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church (Lockwood Road, Goldthorpe)
6. 2.30 p.m. Messy Church (crafts suitable for children) at Thurnscoe Pentecostal Church (Houghton Road Centre, opposite Asda, Thurnscoe)
7. 4,00 p.m. ‘So On & So 4th’ theatre production at St Helen’s Church Hall (High Street, Thurnscoe)

Craft sessions at the Salvation Army & Thurnscoe Pentecostal Church are particularly suitable for children.

Please do join with us for some or all of these activities and feel free to drive between venues if you are not able to walk.