By Jennifer Jones, a Locally Recognised Worship Leader from Horeb URC in Dyserth, North Wales.
We celebrate the Christmas Festival with great joy and rightly so but without Easter Christmas would be just another day. During Lent we follow Jesus each step of the way to the cross and its horror with solemn contemplation, but we should also be preparing to celebrate the Paschal Mystery of Salvation in Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection. We give each other gifts at Christmas but it is at Easter that we receive God’s greatest gift of eternal life.
The Resurrection of Christ is the foundation of our faith and hope. The fifty days from Easter Sunday and the Lord’s Resurrection to Pentecost Sunday are the days when Paschal joy should be celebrated for the world to see the light of the Spirit shining bright and active in our lives of faith and trust in God’s promise of salvation.
In Roman’s chapter 6 we are reminded that through the Paschal Mystery we have been buried with Christ in Baptism so that we may walk with him in the newness of life. ”For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.” Praise the Lord.
Prayer
Gracious Father,
We celebrate the Paschal Mystery of Christ’s Passion, Death and Resurrection with joy and gratitude that as Jesus died we were reborn, free from sin and with the power of the Holy Spirit deep in our heart. We speak of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, but it is easy to forget that it was Jesus the man who suffered the pain, fear and humiliation of torturous death just as the guilty criminals who hung by his side. We could never repay his sacrifice, but he asks for nothing save our faith and trust.
We pray that filled with the power of the Holy Spirit we may bear witness to the risen Christ in our lives and bring others to the good news and salvation through faith.
We step out into the beauty of Gods creation and pray that we may have the strength to follow in Christ’s footsteps, offering our life in his service and love for all we meet.
May the blessings and joy of Easter be with you throughout the year.
Amen.
