Dear friends,
After a joyful and busy Easter and April we now turn to the month which is in front of us … and it appears to be even busier! How blessed are we to have these events in our life of faith with which to get involved! How fabulous it is that we already enjoy each other’s company and make it our priority to be together and share our time with one another. Someone said to me recently, `The thing about Holy Trinity is that everything seems to involve Cake!’ Yep! That just about sums it up! Episcopalianism at its best!
So … dates for May include:
Saturday 6th May Coronation (to be celebrated with your own family and friends)
Sunday 7th May Soup and Sweet Lunch
Saturday 13th May `Living our Faith’ Discussion Day 10 – 2pm Trinity Centre (please bring your own lunch – soup provided)
Sunday 14th May Joint Christian Aid Service at St Mary’s 11am
Sunday 14th May Installation of Janet McKinnell as Canon 3pm at the Cathedral
Sunday 21st May Baptism of Robin Forrester and Liz’s birthday lunch (all invited)
Sunday 28th May Pentecost
Saturday 3rd June Diocesan Day at the Cathedral: The Big Story 10:30 –- 3:30
Sunday 4th June Patronal Festival and our Trinity BBQ in the Rectory gardens
Holy Week and Easter are the pinnacle of the Church’s year, as we follow Our Lord from the great entry into Jerusalem through to his crucifixion, his death, and passion, then on to Easter Day itself. And it is a demanding time for us all – not just for clergy. The Passion story is brutal, and its events take up most of our Gospel books. Yet in order to appreciate and drink fully of the joy which is Easter Day, we have to take part as much as possible with Jesus in the previous week. If you skip from Palm Sunday to Easter Day you miss out. You truly miss out.
The last week of Jesus’ life shows us unequivocally the love and depth of forgiveness of God. It shows us that though we may do so much wrong in this world and to each other – when we turn to God, God still loves. `Having loved His own, He loved them to the end,’ as we say in our liturgy. The darkness is conquered, and life and love will forever win in the end. All shall be well and we can sing Alleluia again!
This is the pattern of Holy Week and Easter. It is the pattern of living in this world. For the events played out over 2000 years ago show us that there is no darkness, no event which is so terrible that God is not already a part of, totally immersed in, and working to transform. Sometimes it is hard for us to see – as it must have been hard for the disciples to see. But it is our faith. It is our hope. It is the Easter message.
So, come. Come and share as much as you can in the events of Holy Week. There information about what is happening at Holy Trinity later in this magazine. Enter, with your whole heart and imagination, into what happens in Holy Week, and then prepare yourself for the overflowing of joy which will surely come on Easter Sunday.
with love, Liz
