9th April 2020
Benefice of Farleigh, Candover and Wield
Dear friends,
By the time you receive this, tonight’s Maundy Thursday service will be available to join in with via the link on the benefice website; tomorrow’s Good Friday services – one recorded by David, the other by Stephen, with different “flavours” will be available for participation as well, and on Sunday, Easter Day, we will celebrate the most important event in History – a man, crucified for preaching and being the Way, the Truth and the Life, who was God incarnate, came back to life – not resuscitated, but resurrected. Jesus’ coming back to life, yet changed and transformed for eternity, changes everything- for we now have a living hope beyond death, we have forgiveness of sins, deliverance from guilt, and His presence by His Holy Spirit in our lives to empower us to live godly fruitful lives.
The Easter services will be uploaded in time for Sunday morning, so you are welcome to join in with those opportunities to worship at a distance – links will be on the website.
Some parishes are planning to decorate their lychgates or front areas with an array of flowers for Easter Day – each one bringing a vase, a bucket, with flowers, to say, ”Jesus is alive: we rejoice this Easter in His love and His conquering of death” – if it’s not too late maybe other churches might consider the same – keeping social distancing and as part of daily exercise.
On Easter Sunday in Farleigh Parish, Stephen will be at All Saints’ Dummer at the lych gate at 9.00 a.m. to sing a couple of Easter hymns, read the Easter story and pray; he will do the same at St. Martin’s Ellisfield at 10.00 a.m. (his neighbours have a piano accordion and will be in their front garden next door to sing as well) and St. Leonard’s Cliddesden at 11.00 a.m. to do the same.
It is heartening to hear from parishioners how they are being cared for by family and neighbours too – we pray God’s continued blessing on this community building that the lockdown is invigorating, and we can trust that God is still in control, He can be trusted, He is the Living God who still answers prayer, and He will enable us to bring good and blessing out of the buffeting of these days. We pray for all those whose businesses and livelihoods are under serious threat; Jesus said “Do not fear.” Hardship may come to many, but it is sometimes through difficulties we discover that God is with us.
May He bless each of you in these last couple of days before Easter celebrations.
May God bless and encourage you and your families as we give thanks for Jesus and His work of redemption for all of us who have responded to His invitation to follow Him.