Dear Friends
The seasons of our churches walk in step with the seasons of the natural world. Christmas comes just after the shortest day of the year, and Easter follows the spring equinox (when day and night are both exactly 12 hours), its date shaped by the cycle of the full moon.
March brings the first signs of spring, even though winter sometimes returns for a while. Daffodils bloom in their cheerful abundance, we begin to leave our thickest jumpers behind, and many of us feel a renewed sense of energy and hope.
Yet no two years are quite the same. Climate change means that March is now, on average, warmer than in the past, with flowers blooming earlier. It is also often wetter and more stormy. For us, this is merely inconvenient; for some, living near rivers it brings a real fear of flooding, for those on the coast, erosion can mean a home collapsing and falling into the sea. In other parts of the world, whole regions are becoming uninhabitable, forcing people to leave everything behind, becoming landless refuges.
Our personal lives also change from year to year. As we emerge from winter, we may find that our health has declined, or that those we love are no longer with us. Alongside loss and weariness, there may also be new joys: births, relationships, and fresh beginnings. Life moves on.
The hymn Now the green blade riseth beautifully expresses this connection between Easter and the seasons, comparing the grave to a dormant grain of wheat waiting for new life. Christian tradition allows us to hold together the glory of Easter and the suffering of Holy Week. We do not pretend that all is well, either in the world or in our lives. Our sadness, guilt, fear, and grief can be brought honestly before God as we walk with Jesus through betrayal, cruelty, and indifference.
Jesus suffered willingly, so that suffering would not have the final word. The last verse of the hymn speaks of God’s love overcoming darkness and death.
As we approach Holy Week and Easter, our worship moves beyond analysis and speaks through words, music, and drama. Together they tell the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection. I invite you to immerse yourself in that story and let it bring hope and healing to your life.
When our hearts are wintry, grieving, or in pain,
Jesus’ touch can call us back to life again.
Fields of our hearts that dead and bare have been:
Love is come again like wheat that springeth green.
Rev Sue
St Margaret's Church Prestwich 