Hi All,
At times the hustle and bustle of life feels like a constant effort to “make like a duck” (keep a steady appearance above the water while frantically paddling underneath). I reckon that’s why Aussie’s love Easter – because it’s a precious four day weekend! But Easter is really a wonderful time of pausing and resting in who Jesus is and how life-changing it is to know him. On Friday we celebrate who he is: the mighty King who come to save us. On Sunday we celebrate just how life transforming it is to know the one who defeated sin and death.
So in the midst of chatting with friends about their plans for the four day weekend (A trip down the coast… A long lunch with family friends… A quiet weekend thinking about anything but work…) why not share what you’ll be doing over Easter and invite them to join us. Because there really is no better news for busy people, or lonely people, or people who have everything, or people who have nothing, than the Good News of Jesus, crucified and risen for us.
Our services on Good Friday and Easter Sunday both start at 10:00, so please come early to find a seat up front and help our visitors find their seats too. Kids will remain throughout the gathering so we can celebrate together as a church family. We won’t have kid’s activity packs, but parents should feel very welcome to bring snacks or quiet activities from home if that is helpful. We’ll keep the services shorter than usual, with brief, talks that grip us with the profound simplicity of the gospel and great songs that help us celebrate together and encourage one another. We’ll share in the Lord’s Supper on Sunday. And we’ll have hot cross buns to share on Friday and chocolate eggs on Sunday.
But at the heart of it all, we celebrate and rest in the life-changing Good News of Jesus. Whatever you’ve got planned for a four-day weekend, there’s no better way to spend your time.
Cheers,
Simon
PS – on Friday we’re singing a new song, which sums up Good Friday and our time in Mark’s gospel really well. You might like to check it here out so we can make the most of singing it together.