It’s a bit hard to swallow isn’t it? I mean come on!  Admittedly there  is a lot of independent evidence that Jesus did indeed exist around the early part of what we now call the first century AD, that he was an inspirational speaker who shook up the Jewish establishment and who was executed by crucifixion. All of that is recorded by Roman historians among others and virtually all modern historians accept that the evidence is overwhelming and in fact more compelling that it is for the existence of historical figures such as Julius Caesar, whose existence no one seriously doubts.

OK so Jesus existed and made enough of a mark to have a footnote in history but  that same ‘history’ confirms that he was crucified. Throughout the period of the Roman Empire where crucifixion was a common form of execution and estimates suggest that up to 1 million people were crucified. There is no record of any survivors! So why should we believe that Jesus was the only exception?

We shouldn’t!  There is no doubt whatsoever that Jesus along with all the other people who were crucified  did in fact die. The Romans were experts, but to be absolutely sure, a spear was  driven into his heart before he was taken down from the cross.  So what’s all this stuff about him ‘rising from the dead?’ about you might ask. Once again it is well documented that the body of Jesus was put into a tomb dug into a rock face and that the tomb was sealed and guarded. Now remember that Jesus’ disciples had run off at the first sign of trouble before he was arrested and one would expect them to be terrified of being rounded up and executed in the same way. In fact they were (terrified) they all went into hiding. It was only a few women who dared to sneak over to the tomb while it was still dark to see if they could finagle  their way into giving him the ‘last rites’ due to a corpse in the Jewish tradition of the day.  They found the tomb empty and spread the word. A few weeks later these same disciples who had run away and hid were standing on street corners and telling crowds of people that Jesus had risen from the dead as proof positive that he was the Messiah that they had been waiting for, for 1,000 years.  Something miraculous had happened to turn cowards into heroes. And why didn’t the authorities simply produce the body to refute what they were saying? Clearly they couldn’t—it wasn’t there!! Are we really to believe that a handful of cowardly despondent men in fear of their own lives  had managed to overpower a guard, move a boulder sealing the tomb, remove the body, hide it so well that it has never been found and then  put their own lives at great risk by  confronting those same people who had shouted for Jesus to be crucified with a made up story of his resurrection?  And this was far from being a flash in the pan. These same people plus the growing number of followers whom they convinced of the truth of the resurrection  of Jesus,  took this message, the Gospel, throughout the known world.  Could all of this really be based on a lie?  However difficult it might be to believe in the resurrection of Jesus isn’t it harder to believe that a collection of mainly uneducated fishermen could make up a story and then sell it to the world?

I don’t think so do you??

A small boy on the way into the hall asked a vicar “Why is it called Good Friday when Jesus died on that day? Surely it should be called Bad Friday?”

If you think about it, the day when Christians commemorate Jesus Christ’s crucifixion does seem black and bleak. According to the Bible, the son of God was flogged, ordered to carry the cross on which he would be crucified and then put to death. It’s difficult to see what is “good” about it.

There are a number of explanations as to why the term ‘Good’ has been widely adopted as the name for the day on which Jesus was crucified but, whatever its origin, it was indeed a good day for  humanity.  Although, quite rightly, Christians celebrate Easter as the moment when Jesus was resurrected, the resurrection was the result, the evidence, that Jesus had taken the sins of the whole world on his shoulders when he who was entirely sinless, allowed himself to be crucified. It was on Good Friday that Jesus atoned for our sins and in so doing defeated death itself. Good Friday was indeed a very good day for us!       

The events leading up to the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus are well-told by the writers of Matthew Mark, Luke and John in the bible, But why Jesus died is why Good Friday is good?

The Roman authorities and the Jewish council wanted Jesus dead. He was a political and social trouble-maker. But what made the death of Jesus more significant than the countless other crucifixions carried out by the Romans and witnessed outside the city walls by the people of Jerusalem?

As Christians we believe that Jesus was far more than a political radical, he is the Son of God. For us the death of Jesus was part of a divine plan to save humanity.

For Christians it is through Jesus’s death that people’s broken relationship with God is restored. This is known as the Atonement.

The word atonement is used in Christian theology to describe what is achieved by the death of Jesus. William Tyndale introduced the word in 1526, when he was working on his popular translation of the Bible, to translate the Latin word reconciliatio.

Atonement (at-one-ment) is the reconciliation of men and women to God through the death of Jesus. That reconciliation is needed because of the wrongs we do each day of our lives (sin). In the beginning God’s creation was perfect but the Devil tempted the first man Adam and sin was brought into the world. Everybody continues to sin, just think of the things you think say and do each day that damage the relationship you have with God, other people, and how you see yourself. None of us are perfect and this sin separates us from God, just as Adam and Eve were separated from God when they were cast out of the Garden of Eden. It is like a great Chasm exists between us and God and no amount of being good, saying the right thing or going through the actions can bridge that gap. Only Jesus who was perfect can bridge that Chasm through his death on the cross,

Thinking of getting Easter gifts for your child? Want to avoid the chocolate and encourage your child to think. This could be the book for you to get for a child you know.

Questions are so important – they are how we learn to live our lives. That’s a Good Question! is a collection of 32 tricky questions which children commonly ask. Questions like Who made God? Where is heaven? Does God sleep? Were there dinosaurs on the ark?

J.John sets about answering these in a clear and concise manner. Of course, the answers to these important questions are complemented by a set of fantastic illustrations.

It is worth a look.

 Badger’s parting gifts.

At some point in our lives we will all experience the death of a loved one. Parents often ask about helping their children through grief. This is book is a tool to help with this. CHILD BEREAVEMENT UK has said that ‘Badger’s Parting Gifts provides young children with a means to understand grief’. It tells the tale of Badger.

Badger is so old that he knows he must soon die, so he does his best to prepare his friends. When he finally passes away, they are grief-stricken, but one by one they remember the special things he taught them during his life. By sharing their memories, they realise that although Badger is no longer with them physically, he lives on through his friends.

The 35th anniversary edition of this multi award-winning picture book about losing a loved one features a helpful reading guide from Child Bereavement UK that provides tips for reading Badger’s Parting Gifts with children and helping them better understand grief. It is worth having on your child’s bookshelf.

The Huge Bag of Worries

The world can be a worrying place and children can be anxious and have worries to. The Huge Bag of Worries is a reassuring picture book encouraging children to be open about their fears and anxieties to help manage their feelings.

The perfect book to soothe worries during stressful times. The story features Jenny. Wherever Jenny goes, her worries follow her – in a big blue bag. They are with her all the time – at school, at home, when she is watching TV and even in the bathroom! Jenny decides they must go, but who will help her get rid of them?  A funny and reassuring look at dealing with worries and anxiety, to be used as a springboard into important conversations with your child.

The Shack

A book for adults or teenagers

With 20 million copies sold worldwide The Shack is an international bestseller that explores life’s toughest questions through the gripping story of one man’s struggle to find answers to his suffering.

Mack’s youngest daughter, Missy, was abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later, still trapped in his great sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack. Against his better judgement Mack arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon. What he finds there will change his life forever.

The Shack wrestles with the timeless question, ‘Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?’ Mack’s experiences when he faces up to his darkest nightmares will astound you, and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. This is the kind of book you’ll want to tell everyone about. Millions have discovered it already. 

 

Why not join us for one or more of our services as we follow Jesus from Palm Sunday to the cross?

Monday April 3^rd 7pm Service of reflection

Tuesday April 4^th 2pm communion and reflection

Wednesday April 5^th 2pm Service of reflection

Maundy Thursday 7pm Holy Communion

Good Friday 9.30am meet at church of walk of witness in Heanor Market at 10am

Good Friday 2 pm A service of reflection in church – The final hour of Christ’s agony

Maundy Thursday is the fifth day of Holy Week – the final week of Lent, which begins on Palm Sunday and runs up until Easter.

It gets its name from the Latin word ‘mandare’, from which we get the word ‘command’. Christians remember Jesus’s command: “Love one another as I have loved you.”  On this day Christians remember Jesus sharing the Last Supper with his disciples before his death on Good Friday. We have a service of Holy Communion in church at 7pm to do this. As part of the service we also strip the altar as we remember that Jesus left the supper and went to Gethsemane where he prayed before he was arrested.

 At the Last Supper Jesus washed the disciples’ feet as an act of humility and service.  Some churches recreate this act of service at special services on Maundy Thursday. Foot washing is a reminder of how Jesus served others and of the kind of service we as Christians are meant to demonstrate to others.  

Every year the Sovereign distributes silver coins at a special service on Maundy Thursday. It is part of a tradition dating back to the 13th Century when the Royal Family took part in ceremonies washing the feet of poor people and giving money and gifts.

The Maundy Money ceremony itself began in 1662, when Charles II gave out coins. This year will be the first year King Charles III gives out Maundy Money as King.

Each year on the fourth Sunday of Lent, countries around the world celebrate Mothering Sunday. This typically involves lavishing Mums with gifts and attention and celebrating the women who have nurtured us throughout our lives. It is also a difficult day and sometimes a painful day for many. 
 
It has origins that start in the middle ages are some o traditions that have shaped Mothering Sunday into the celebration recognised today: 

In the 16th century, Mothering Sunday was less about mothers and more about church. At that time people would make a journey to their ‘mother’ church once a year. This might have been their home church, their nearest cathedral or a major parish church in a bigger town. The service which took place at the ‘mother’ church symbolised the coming together of families. This would have represented a significant journey for many. 

Another tradition was to allow those working in the fields on wealthy farms and estates in England to have the day off on the fourth Sunday of Lent to visit their mothers and possibly go to church too. This was a variation on the theme of visiting the ‘mother’ church and was a move towards a more family focussed occasion. Before the days of cars and roads, family get-togethers were far more rare, (zoom and Whats app were still a long way off). In some ways this tradition is still alive today as grown up children often visit their parents on mothering Sunday. 

Simnel cake has a strong affiliation to Mothering Sunday as it is usually associated with spring and Easter.  Also mothering Sunday is also known as refreshment Sunday as the Lenten discipline of a simpler diet are relaxed, hence cake. Simnel resembles a Christmas fruit cake but should be slightly lighter in texture. The other difference is the two layers of marzipan. Simnel cake should have a layer of marzipan running through the middle like a victoria sponge and then another layer of marzipan on the top. Traditionally, you should also roll some marzipan into eleven eggs and place these on the top. The eggs are supposed to symbolise the disciples who followed Jesus – note that Judas is excluded. 

The question is, do you boil or bake your simnel cake? Some say it’s necessary to do both because of an argument from folktale where two people could not agree on the correct way to cook the cake.   

On Mothering Sunday, churches around the country will be sharing their own traditions, celebrating and giving thanks to the huge impact mothers have on each of our lives. The main service on Mothering Sunday in churches across the country is central to the life of the church. 

The church recognises that the day may be difficult and complex for some people. If you are childless or the relationship with your mum or daughter is hard or your mum or child has died or that you feel you are not coping as a mum this day is a day you might wish would go away. For some women, it is the only day of the year when they receive flowers 

 As part of our service we include prayers for those who don’t find the day particularly easy and there is space for your own thoughts. Also if you need someone to listen ,we will do that too. 

Families across the country will be preparing little presents and cards and in some churches flowers are blessed and handed out during the main service. 

Families come together to have lunch, or children make breakfast in bed for their mothers, leaving all the mess to be cleared up later! It’s all about showing appreciation and many make a huge effort to make their mother feel special. 

What we do want to do is value each person and value the role of woman in our lives. We want to recognise that family is not just biological but contains the people who care for us and that might include friend, neighbour and church. This Mothering Sunday come and see what we have to offer.  

How about trying your hand at making a simnel cake

Simnel cake recipe – BBC Food 

Ingredients 

For the almond paste 

• 250g/9oz caster sugar 

• 250g/9oz ground almonds 
• 2 free-range eggs, beaten 
• 1 tsp almond essence 

For the cake 

• 175g/6oz butter or margarine, plus extra for greasing 

• 175g/6oz soft brown sugar 
• 3 free-range eggs, beaten 
• 175g/6oz plain flour 
• pinch salt 
• ½ tsp ground mixed spice (optional) 

• 350g/12oz mixed raisins, currants and sultanas 
• 55g/2oz chopped mixed peel 
• ½ lemon, grated zest only 
• 1–2 tbsp apricot jam 
• 1 free-range egg, beaten for glazing 

How-to-videos 

Method 

1. For the almond paste, place the sugar and ground almonds in a bowl. Add enough beaten egg and mix to a fairly soft consistency. Add the almond essence and knead for 1 minute until the paste is smooth and pliable. Roll out a third of the almond paste to make a circle 18cm/7in in diameter and reserve the remainder for the cake topping. 

2. Preheat oven to 140C/120C Fan/Gas 1. Grease and line a 18cm/7in cake tin. 

3. For the cake, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs until well incorporated and then sift in the flour, salt and mixed spice (if using) a little at a time. Finally, add the mixed dried fruit, peel and grated lemon zest and stir into the mixture. 

4. Put half the mixture into the cake tin. Smooth the top and cover with the circle of almond paste. Add the rest of the cake mixture and smooth the top leaving a slight dip in the centre to allow for the cake to rise. Bake in the preheated oven for 1¾ hours. Test by inserting a skewer in the middle – if it comes out clean, it is ready. Once baked, remove from the oven and set aside to cool on a wire rack. 

5. Brush the top of the cooled cake with the apricot jam. Divide the remainder of the almond paste in half. Roll out a circle to cover the top of the cake with one half and form 11 small balls with the other half. Place the circle of paste on the jam glaze and set the balls round the edge. Brush the cake topping with a little beaten egg. 

6. Preheat the grill to high. Place the cake onto a baking tray and grill for 1–2 minutes, or until the top of the marzipan begins to brown. Alternatively, lightly heat the cake topping using a cook’s blowtorch, until the marzipan is golden brown. 

Is Mothering Sunday/Mothers Day just another way of emotionally blackmailing us  into spending money? No more a homemade card and wild flowers picked as we go for a walk or snowdrops and daffodils from the garden.

Presents with Mother or Mummy printed on and a fancy bag to put it in with the onus on Dad to get it right.

Of course the next worry is when parents have split up – who takes the responsibility ,the estranged father or perhaps the stepfather. Where do the children spend their day?

The days when the young people in service in the richer households were allowed to return home for the day taking the simnel cake are history now.

The original Mothering Sunday was a Christian festival when people returned to their mother church, where they were brought up and baptized and this is probably why the custom continued for the domestic servants.

Should we worry that the custom has evolved to the more modern habits of commercialism as with Christmas or accept that things change?

But where does it end?

Lent, the forty days in the Christian year that lead up to Easter, is a valuable time for Christians. The word “Lent” comes from a variety of Anglo-Saxon and Germanic words meaning “spring”, a time budding with new life and hope. For Christians, Lent is not a celebration of nature; rather, it is a process of prayer and spiritual renewal looking to a time budding with new spiritual life and hope. The Lenten season is an opportunity to cultivate the interior life through spiritual exercises and practices.
In the early church new believers were baptized into its fellowship once a year on Easter Sunday. Leading up to their baptism a period was set aside for their preparation. In their baptism they would signify their death to the power of evil and their call to be risen into new life in Christ, who overcame the power of death on the first Easter. In time the whole community of the faithful came to experience this season as a time for growth in faithful discipleship. Lent emerged as a time when both new converts, as well as the body of believers, would join more closely with the living, dying and rising of Jesus. Thus in today’s Church, as in the early Church, Lent is meant to be experienced as a time for the making of disciples.
Rather than being seen as a forty day endurance test, Lent is a quality season. It is a time of rediscovery, a golden chance to open ourselves more deeply to the beauty and power of the dying and rising to new life in Jesus. It is a time to ponder the reality of the death and resurrection and to allow it to soak into our deepest parts.

Lent is the time for new life and hope, a time for, self-examination, an opportunity for us as individuals to recognise our need for God, to pause a little in our busy lives and focus on our creator and redeemer.

Through the centuries, Lent became characterised by practices which typify the meaning of this season. One of these is prayer. Lent invites us to step aside from the busyness of our daily life, the many things that clutter and crowd our life in order to get in touch with the self and at a deeper level, with the Spirit of God within. Essentially, prayer is attention to God; it places us in a posture of listening. Amidst all the noise and tumult of our daily life, Lent encourages us to experience a new depth of prayer, an authentic attentiveness to God through which we learn to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.
A second practice associated with this season is fasting. Fasting signifies a willingness to free ourselves from the desires, ambitions and pursuits that center on the demands of the self. It points to a willingness to be freed from the self-centeredness that drives so much of our life in order to experience more fully the liberating power of Christ. Fasting reminds us of the truth that the deepest hunger in our lives must be the hunger for God.
A  third practice is giving. True hunger for God leads to the giving of ourselves to others. Lent calls us to a greater compassion for others, especially the poor and needy. It invites us to examine ourselves honestly on how subtly we have accepted society’s addiction to possessions, to affluence. Through the days of Lent we are encouraged to focus our eyes on Jesus who gave his whole life in faithfulness to God, giving his life totally out of love for all. As we keep that clear focus we join our life in the loving intention of Jesus to give himself for all.
Lent is a shining opportunity for experiencing “ the unsearchable riches of Christ”, a time for spiritual growth so that we might walk in newness of life. Let us determine how we can take advantage of this opportunity and then dedicate ourselves wholeheartedly to our Lenten practice.
Some Ideas For Observing Lent Prayer

Take a daily “Time Out” for God.
 Go to a quiet place, light a candle and:
Read the Bible;
Read a book about God;
Write a thankfulness journal;
Spend time listening to God, rather than speaking to Him.

Fasting
Set aside one day a week on which you will go without something you enjoy it might be a meal (only do this if you have no medical condition that means you need to keep to a diet) or a favourite TV programme, and spend an equivalent time intentionally seeking God’s presence with you.

Giving
Give something away to those in need for example,
Donate the money saved and time saved from fasting
Bring non-perishable food items to a place where they will be taken to the Food Banks for the needy;
Give money to Lenten outreach projects;
Call someone who is unable to get out, ill, alone, or otherwise needs a friendly chat.