From Deacon Janet Amey

Hello to everyone, it is a blessing to share a few words with you all.

As I write this, I am journeying through Easter week, and I am wondering what you might be doing during this Holy Week. Perhaps you are very busy? Perhaps family and friends are visiting you, or you are visiting them? Or, perhaps you are travelling through the different services, meetings or prayer groups on the road to Easter? Or, maybe you are spending some extra time relaxing and a time of quiet? Easter comes along every year, we share the joy, the hymns, the prayers, (the chocolate!) and celebrate the risen Christ. Easter is such a wonderful time, and having spring warming us all up, and showing us beautiful flowers and new buds, God feels so real, so close and so alive!

But… What next? What can possible compare to a celebration of the resurrected Christ?!  

After the resurrection, in the evening, Jesus appeared to the disciples behind locked doors, ‘Jesus came among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ (John 20:19) Jesus then showed the disciples his hands and his side. When I think of what his hands and his side must have looked like, the scars that show the pain and the death that Jesus had experienced, I find it difficult to comprehend the response of the disciples as they rejoice. But actually, they are rejoicing because until they see these scars, they do not know Jesus. When the disciples see these scars, they really see Jesus. We have a similar story of Thomas, who wasn’t with the others, he recognises, or believes, when he sees the scars, or even touches the scars, the hands of Jesus. 

We find it easy to see God in the beauty of spring, a walk in the park, visiting friends or sharing a good cup of tea. But I question is this enough as we are challenged in the accounts of Jesus ‘post-Easter’ to look deeper. We are challenged to seek the scars, the wounds, challenged to see the places and people that suffer, for it is in these places we might find the real risen Christ. We are called to push through the comforts of the world, the temptations to care for ourselves, and reach out to the shredded hand of Christ. We are called into society, into the suffering that rising prices and poor housing are contributing to, we are called to hold the scarred hands of those experiencing abuse and neglect, and offer a shoulder and friendship to those with no one. We reflect on what it means to love God and our neighbour as ourselves.

As we continue journeying together, what reflections do you have on the resurrection? I hope you find some time to share these, with a friend, or perhaps write a poem or produce some visual art? As we continue our journey through 2024, may we continue to be amazed in the power and glory of Christ, in our lives, our communities, our churches and in the world, and may we not shy away from being an ever-loving presence. 

Peace and blessings,

Deaon Janet