One of the most appalling things about this is that much of the pain, the agony, has been ‘invented’ by humankind . Imagine for example death by crucifixion – the suffering our Lord bore on the cross must have been of the most extreme. The scourging that always preceded crucifixion would have left his back almost shredded to the bone – then he was forced to carry the horizontal of the cross to his place of execution through the heat of a Mediterranean day. I suppose one ‘good’ thing about it was that it did not last a lifetime. But if this was the only ‘good thing’ about Jesus’ death then we should just be adding another piece in the jigsaw of human suffering.

What makes the difference is not just the suffering and death of Jesus it is what happens after that. Terry Waite and others who were kept hostage in the Middle East some years ago said that they kept their spirits up by singing hymns and reciting psalms. They were able to endure captivity because they knew that resurrection is possible. I wrote a short time ago about the new green shoots – now they are all around - have you noticed the wonderful almost acid yellow of the weeping willows?

Jesus, as many others before and since, was subject to the most inhuman death by torture that has ever been devised – but His resurrection shows that it is possible to overcome even the darkest of human experiences and we must never lose sight of that. We know that, as we walk once more the way of the cross with Jesus, so we are also invited to share in the glory, the joy, and the triumph of the resurrection.

I wish you a Happy and Blessed Easter,

Yours in Christ

Jo

for all who endure suffering

for all who contemplate inflicting suffering on others

for a renewal of the Christian faith in the world.

This is on Monday 20th April at 7.30pm in Church. It is an important meeting where we elect the churchwardens and PCC to serve for a year. The accounts for the year will be presented and it is an opportunity to air your views about where we should be going as a church community in Turvey. Please try to make time to come.

Saturday and Sunday June 13th & 14th. Arrangements begin to be made from Wednesday 10th June. Clearing until Wednesday 17th June.

We go back a long way in Turvey! You may like to represent the history of your organisation, for example the Playgroup is fifty this year! (Congratulations to them!) or you may like to represent something with which we have local associations, like the Gunpowder Plot. If you have not been to a Flower festival, you may be reassured to know that it is usual to use things other than flowers to get your theme across – photos, objects etc! or to use plants, vegetables, greenery etc.

You will be allocated your own area within the church in which to exhibit your display. You may use as many props as you want, but we do ask that you supply your own core flowers. These may be from the garden, from the hedgerow or from the market!

In the next few weeks we will be holding a presentation at the Church to show you round the allocated display areas and to help you, if needed, with some possible ideas and inspiration for your display.

If you are interested in taking part, in the first instance contact Liz Fincham (01234 881546).

Please do not hesitate to call Liz if you have any queries regarding the Flower Festival.

We have contacted organisations in the first instance, but if you would like to make an individual arrangement you will be welcome, as space allows.

The next coffee morning will be at 10:15 a.m. on Saturday 4th April at Hall Farm Turvey, by kind invitation of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Hanbury. There will be a raffle and bring-and-buy stall for which contributions, especially of cakes and produce would be very welcome. Please note that, due to Easter, the event is being held on the first and not the second Saturday of the month. Last months very enjoyable coffee morning raised £325 towards church funds. A big thank you to Trevor and Sue Coward for making us so welcome and to everyone who helped with and supported the event..

If you would like to donate a lily or other flowers in memory of a loved one at Easter, please let me know (881661) so that they can be ordered in good time. The church will be decorated for Easter on the 11th April. If you would like to help with the decorations please contact me. We also need help with the church flowers throughout the rest of the year. Please look at the rota in the church porch if you would like to be included. There are weekly slots, but it is usual to sign up for two weeks at a time. We now have a cupboard for storing our flower equipment, so everything is better organised. A big thank you to Len Savage for putting shelves in the cupboard and to Gill Betts for painting it. Anne Claypole White, 881661.

We are planning to serve cream teas again this summer to coincide with the opening of Turvey House on Bank Holiday Mondays. The dates are:

Monday 4th May

Monday 25th May

Monday 31st August.

Why not come along, enjoy a delicious cream tea and meet some of the interesting people who visit the House.

There was a very gracious lady who was mailing an old family Bible to her brother in another part of the country. "Is there anything breakable in here?" asked the postmaster. "Only the Ten Commandments", answered the lady.

Prayer is a plant, the seed of which is sown in the heart of every Christian. If it well cultivated and nourished it will produce fruit, but if it is neglected, it will wither and die.

O God, who for our redemption gave your only begotten Son to death on the Cross, and by his glorious resurrection has delivered us from the power of our enemy: Grant that we who celebrate with joy the day of our Lord’s resurrection, may be raised from the death of sin by your life-giving spirit. Grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live with Him in the joy of His resurrection, empowered and transformed by your grace in and among us.

O Lord, so stir up in your church, and indeed in each of us, that spirit of adoption and reconciliation that is made possible by your grace revealed in Jesus the Christ, that we being renewed in both body and mind, may worship and serve you in sincerity and truth. We pray this in the name of the same Jesus Christ our Lord who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

Prayer is the peace of our spirit, the stillness of our thoughts, the evenness of our recollection, the seat of meditation, the rest of our cares and the calm of our tempest. Prayer is the issue of a quiet mind, of untroubled thoughts. Jeremy Taylor

The Easter Bunny

Did you know? Some facts from the Easter page/traditions/history/dates of Easter:

The Easter bunny is not a modern invention. The symbol originated with the pagan festival of Easter. The goddess, Easter, was worshipped by the Anglo-Saxons through her earthly symbol, the rabbit. The Germans brought the symbol of the Easter rabbit to America. It was widely ignored by other Christians until shortly after the Civil War. In fact, Easter itself was not widely celebrated in America until after that time.

As with the Easter bunny and the holiday itself, the Easter Egg predates the Christian holiday of Easter. The exchange of eggs in the springtime is a custom that was centuries old when Easter was first celebrated by Christians. From the earliest times, the egg was a symbol of rebirth in most cultures. Eggs were often wrapped in gold leaf or, if you were a peasant, coloured brightly by boiling them with the leaves of petals of certain flowers.