Dear Friends,

Did you know that in the early years of Christianity the historical event of Jesus’ suffering and death was considered too offensive, too brutal to be depicted in art? For centuries it was only depicted by symbols and allegories – the cross with the Christ monogram or the fish. In fact, in the earliest illustrations of the cross – it was not the suffering Christ that was depicted at all, but the triumphant Christ – a majestic ascended Lord with the cross as a kind of backdrop. Even in some of the early paintings from the Gothic and early Renaissance period, the Christ of the cross is a rather elegant, sad figure, clean and beautiful to behold. Certainly there was a beauty in his death – an undeserved death, a gift meant to reconcile God and His people - but there was nothing beautiful in the manner of his death. It was not clean and elegant – it was dirty, crude and cruel, one of the worst forms of torture invented by man. Perhaps Matthias Grunewald, a German artist painting an altar piece for a church in Isenheim, created the first image that really shows the extent of the suffering of the cross – the fingers are outstretched and contorted, the muscles in his twisted arms and legs are knotted and the chest hollow as if one can actually see Our Lord gasping for breath as the suffocation began. Hans Kung describes it as ‘the embodiment of boundless suffering’.

But if it is difficult to paint the reality of the horror of the crucifixion, how much more difficult is it to portray in art the glory of the resurrection? How can one paint a figure that is essentially the same as it was before death and yet is so wonderfully changed? Many pictures of the resurrection show an uncertain figure hovering over an empty tomb – not really very inspiring as an event that was to change the world. On another part of the Grunewald altarpiece, however, the resurrection is depicted as a cosmic event, set against a black night sky with a few shining stars. The risen Christ soars into the air with arms uplifted, taking the white grave cloth with him and surrounded by an enormous radiance of light, which turn into all the colours of the rainbow.

Even the amazingly powerful paintings of Grunewald, however, make me wonder if we have got things right. I wonder if it would be better to have to engage our own imagination with the suffering of the cross and the glory of the resurrection? I think we have become so used to the clinical portrayal of the crucifixion both in art and sculpture that we fail to see the overwhelming love of Christ in dying this death for us. You know the tale of the girl who went to the jeweller to buy a cross and was asked if she wanted one with a little man on or not, the cross has become almost a meaningless fashion item. In the two weeks before Easter, our crosses and crucifixes in Church will be veiled – we will need to draw on our own experience of what death on the cross was about.

And more important, on Easter day, we will need to recognise the risen Christ alive in our own hearts and lives – no paint on canvas can compare with that breathtaking joy.

I wish you all a thoughtful, holy and glorious Easter

Jo

All Christians as we celebrate Easter

All Christians who are persecuted for their faith

The people of the Holy Land, and for peace in that region.

Our Church Annual Meetings will be held this year on Tuesday 25^th April at 7:30pm in Church. This is your chance to have your say in how our church is run and to elect those who will represent you on the PCC for the next year. Please check that your name is on the electoral roll at the back of church, this enables you to vote at the meeting. If you would like to stand for PCC please speak to me or to one of the wardens.

Jo Spray.

The next coffee morning will be at 10:15am on Saturday 8^th April at The Penn, Mill Green, Turvey by kind invitation of Dewi and Nancy Waters. There will be a raffle and bring-and-buy stall for which contributions, especially of cakes, would be most welcome.

Last month’s coffee morning at Turvey House raised £337 towards church funds. A big thank-you to Daniel and Celia Hanbury for hosting it, and to everyone who helped with and supported a very enjoyable event.

If you would like to donate a lily or flowers in memory of a loved one at Easter please let Anne Claypole White (881661) know in good time as they need to be ordered well in advance. Also, if you would like to help decorate the church on Easter Saturday she would be delighted to hear from you!

Our next meeting, postponed from last month, will be a general meeting to discuss the future programme, starting at 2:30pm on Thursday 20^th April in the Manor Room. Please come with your ideas!

Wednesday 12th April, 10:00 to 11:30 am in the Manor Room.

Lots of fun arty-crafty activities for children under 11 years of age.

All very welcome.