Sunday 21 April 2019

Easter

Mary Magdalene weeping c Janet,Driver

The shock of Jesus death must have been intense.Hopes dashed so soon...
Mary Magdalene is finally able to weep outside the tomb [St John ch 20 ]

Even then it takes time before she is able to recognise the Risen Christ...thinking at first he must be the gardener...but then “Rabbouni” joy breaks through

“Rabbouni” c Janet Driver


Shocking news of the Sri Lankan bombings in several churches, was just filtering through as we set off for our own church service. Seemingly senseless loss of life...throwing us back over 25 years ago to vivid memories of living & working in Colombo... ‘I remember the bomb shockwave which puffed out net curtains at a closed window, the curfews and roadblocks, armed military on the streets of Colombo...that was our norm. It shall not be in 2019’ [from Steph Driver’s tweet]
A friend, guessing how shocked I would feel, wrote saying that words fail...there is only silent prayer


Friday 19 April 2019

Good Friday

Christ on the Cold Stone c 1500, Utrecht

Christ on the Cold Stone
“ The seated Christ summarises the entire Passion; he has exhausted the violence, the ignominy, the bestiality of man...Here is the abyss of suffering...” [ Emile Male, art historian ]

When I saw this statue some years ago it seemed to express the vulnerability of Jesus as he waits for his cross to be erected by the soldiers...awaiting the pain of his crucifixion.

 It comes back into my mind today, having watched the way climate change protesters also deliberately chose the way of non-violence & vulnerability this week... to enable us to see...