Week beginning 12th April 2020
Easter Saturday
Hello Everyone
Well another week has gone by and the weather has been glorious.
Working through the Psalms has been challenging; some of them are very gloomy, and the writer was definitely experiencing a lot of difficulty. Psalm 14 says people weren’t following God, weren’t doing good and were wicked, and in Psalm 15 the author is saying “Who is good enough to enter into the Lord’s presence?” Then in Psalm 16 David is on a high extolling the Lord. Psalm 17 has more cries to the Lord for justice. David has been through deep soul searching and has been tracked down by his enemies.
On Good Friday I got to writing out Psalm 18. It’s quite a long one, but the words echo the day Jesus died:
“The ropes of death entangled me,”
“The grave wrapped its ropes around me; death laid a trap in my path,”
“The earth quaked and trembled,”
“He shrouded himself in darkness.”
Then comes the optimism of resurrection:
“Mounted on a mighty angelic being, he flew soaring on the wings of the wind,”
"The Lord thundered from heaven,”
"Then at your command , O Lord, at the blast of your breath, the bottom of the sea could be seen, and the foundations of the earth were laid bare,”
" He reached down from heaven and rescued me, he drew me out of deep waters,”
"He rescued me from my powerful enemies.”
We are rescued from the ravages of eternal death; all we need to do is believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that he has saved us.
Throughout these Psalms David has so many downs and ups, just like us! It got me thinking that something we could be doing is using the Psalms to pray - literally take the words and change the person and the tenses where appropriate.
So while we are unable to meet together look through some of these resources, all freely available.
Graves to Gardens
Challenging times call for creative solutions. With global limits on gatherings of all sizes and many regions in full lockdown, normal Easter celebrations have become all but impossible. Graves to Gardens was born in response to the cancellation of our own local Easter gatherings here in New Zealand and we’re excited to offer this as a free gift to anyone who would like to journey with us into new territory.
The Garden Tomb in Jerusalem, where Simon and Anne Holland (formerly from Lee Abbey) are now serving, is holding an Easter Service at 7:00am our time. Check out their Facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/gardentomb/
Great Commission has produced a great video The Comeback
"To those up against it in brokenness and pain, Easter's story roars, 'We go again!' If you haven't watched it yet, have a watch of our Easter spoken word video. The Comeback is a message of Jesus' hope to share with all those who need it at this time of uncertainty.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=533884897271794
Speak Life
From Harry Potter to Katniss Everdeen, we see it again and again — a hero giving themselves to save others. Why? Might it have something to do with the greatest story ever told? There are a bunch of short videos to get you thinking about life, death, love and resurrection
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Gn2eXwiL-Q&list=PL4zD5797LHdfdXYAxJ3Ku8mSTof0Og1OZ&index=2&t=2s
Spring Harvest 2020
Spring Harvest Home, available online via YouTubefrom April 13th to 17th check out this YouTube channel daily https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjF0wwkJiOOr7Or4EAZPTuA3EeJAHaCVZ
The United Reformed Church“Walking the Way” team have published this booklet to help us during this time:
https://urc.org.uk/images/WalkingtheWay/documents/Continuing_to_support_each_other.pdf
Have a Happy Easter
Do keep in touch with us and each other
Blessings
Jacquey
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