VICAR
Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust that You are well. Hopefully some of You were lucky yesterday in the Grand National.
This week, horses aside, I would like to reflect on Easter. Too often on the big feast days the focus is on getting the lamb in the oven or making sure stockings are filled. Easter is the most important of the Christian feast days and, aside from the daffodils and egg hunts, it merits some deeper reflection.
So this week I ask of You to spend some time dwelling on the Easter message. This summary is a good way to begin a train of thoughts and prayers:
Out of the darkness, Christ shows his light to the world. His resurrection changes the history of salvation and gives our suffering purpose. We have the freedom to live our lives as God intended and experience real joy and happiness. Even when we are buried in our sorrows, we can hold onto the hope that eternal joy is coming and God shall comfort us in our sufferings.
As Christians, we have seen and heard the comforting words of the Lord. Do we really believe the Word of God that tells us that we will rise again? It is God’s initiative that brings us hope in spite of all our fears and worries. We have come a long way from where we started. When we look back over our lives and just recall where God has brought us, we will begin to tremble.
Our concern for the people of Ukraine and the other parts of our world where people suffer unjustly is only one example of our Easter faith. Our faith is put into action when we, like Mary Magdalene, see the empty tomb and begin our search for the Lord. We hear the Lord calling our name and we tell the world, “Jesus is alive!” and we will live again!
Easter is not just one Sunday. Easter is a way of life. It is a life where Christ is always at the centre lifting us from the things that keep us in the grave and do not allow us to experience the life that God intends for us. As an “Easter people”, we know what it means to rise from the grave and experience life as God has prepared for us. When life’s problems come your way, lift your head up high and fight for what you know is true. All around will see the light and darkness shall be defeated.
May we continue to experience what a relationship with God is all about as we celebrate the new life that comes from the Risen Lord Jesus.
God Bless You All. Have a wonderful Sunday and a superb week ahead. If, like me, You were lucky with the dobbins, may that luck against all the odds continue for many weeks ahead.
O Lord, from whom all good things do come: Grant to us thy humble servants, that by thy holy inspiration we may think those things that be good, and by thy merciful guiding may perform the same; through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.