STEPPINGSTONES

From the Minister
The Lord is risen! He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
By my reckoning this is the 35th Easter newsletter item I have written as a minister. You
might be thinking: “He might as well borrow the words from an earlier newsletter, say
20 years ago - or even 5 years ago as he wasn’t our minister then”. Well, that I am afraid
would be impossible as I have not kept any such writings. It’s the same with sermons. I
have not kept any.
Some may regard the deletion of what must amount to somewhere in excess of 2000
items of creative writing (Sunday sermons, newsletter items, funeral and wedding
addresses, etc.), as a desecration. I don't see it as that. In fact, certainly for the past 20
years, I have blithely torn up manuscripts and deposited writings into both the ‘bin’ at my
feet or on my personal computer - not to be recycled, but deleted forever.
In the end what we are dealing with is words as a means of communicating God’s
purposes. I know writings can be of benefit for future readers - for research and the like -
but in the end I see the words from a minister’s pen as fleeting episodes, albeit
important, in the development and practice of discipleship. Here today, gone tomorrow
- they are largely for the moment, and if we hear the Holy Spirit prompting us through
such words, whether spoken or written, then that should be sufficient for that time.
The annual round of Christian festivals keeps us all linked to the story of God’s saving
purpose. We have the promise of the coming of Christ during Advent. We have the
incarnation of the Son of God, the Word made flesh, at Christmas. We have the
manifestation of the infant Christ to the Magi, at Epiphany. We have the testing period of
Christ’s temptations during Lent. We enter into the suffering of Christ in Holy Week. We
hear the good news that he has overcome death at Easter. All such as these in the
Christian calendar, besides Pentecost which is yet to come, offer us stopping points as
we resource and equip ourselves for intentional living as Christ’s followers today.
The words of your minister, whether spoken or written, are short-lived and will not
last. They might nourish you for a while, but in the end they are only there to point
you to the grand narrative which is about Jesus Christ - crucified and risen. The Easter
season in which we now find ourselves cannot be erased, torn up, nor binned,
because Christ’s risen life is in you!
St Paul wrote:
1 Corinthians 15: 13 - 14 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been
raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your
faith has been in vain.
So then, let us continue to live the Easter faith. These words should suffice:
The Lord is risen! He is risen indeed. Alleluia

Coffee Morning

The Coffee Morning & Sale on Saturday 26th March raised £105.00 plus £19.00
from the Quiz sheets making a total of £124 For Send a Cow. Helping others to help themselves. Thank you to Brenda for compiling the Quiz sheets once again.
The next Coffee Morning on 30th April will be for the Ukraine Appeal

.Good Friday Walk of Witness
This year we were able to hold this having had to cancel 2020 and doing a virtual walk around our churches online in 2021! We followed our usual pattern beginning at St. James’ and then proceeding to St. Helen’s and St. Martin’s, before finishing in our  . The number of people taking part gradually increased as we went round the churches until we had over 40 in our church and sharing in fellowship together in our Hall over the refreshments. Thanks to everyone who helped prepare everything beforehand, and those who helped out serving up the teas and coffees. After taking out expenses, we were able to add £90 to the Ukraine appeal and must thank all who attended for their generosity.