I am so fed up with political game playing, points scoring and posturing that I am tempted to go to the moon for the next few weeks and wait until it is all over; but if I really care about what happens to my fellow citizens that is exactly what I must not do. I must attempt to see past the media hype and the sensationalism – and remember that not all who stand for Parliament do so to feather their own nest – or become so totally out of touch with the people they represent that they are at best ineffective and at worst corrupt.

I must see it out – read the election manifestos, listen to the heavy weights slogging it out on the radio and television, try to decide which party will best be able to restore social cohesion, financial stability and have genuine concern for all strata of society – then I MUST cast my vote in the General Election, whenever it is! I am afraid it is too easy to say ‘Whatever I do will make no difference.’ - As the statesman Edmund Burke said ‘All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing’ (and that includes women!)

That is why I must remember Emily Davison and her like – those who campaigned fearlessly and who, in Davison’s case, gave her life so that women could have a say in the government of our country. And South Africa! 1994 was the date when Black Africans were allowed to cast their vote for the first time – and how they responded to the challenge – it is one of my most beautiful images ever of the power of the resurrection. There seemed to be no sense of bitterness or recrimination for the years that they had spent in servitude to a white minority just overwhelming joy that apartheid had ended and right prevailed at last. Nor was that election the only one where people bothered to vote – the last election in South Africa enjoyed a massive turnout of the electorate; we have a lot to learn.

We are lucky to live in a democracy like ours – but it will only work if we use it properly – and at present we are in danger of being overtaken by the evil of apathy! This season of Easter should teach us a lesson – it is possible for good to triumph over evil. It is possible for light to come out of darkness. It is possible to make our country a good place for all to live – and there are honest and decent politicians in all our mainstream political parties who want nothing more than this. It is our duty to support them – with our interest in what they have to say, our comment, our prayers – and our vote!

So maybe I won’t go to the moon after all – but if I indulge in a bit of head banging during the next few weeks, forgive me!

Yours in Christ

Jo

All our political leaders

Candidates who will stand in local and general elections

An equal society in Britain

The next coffee morning will be at 10:15am on Saturday 10th April at Homelands, High Street by kind invitation of Anne Claypole White. There will be a raffle and a bring-and-buy stall for which contributions, especially of cakes would be very welcome. Last month’s very enjoyable coffee morning raised £267 towards church funds. A big thank you to Richard and Judith Bray for hosting the event and to everyone who helped with and attended it.

The church’s Annual Parochial Church Meeting will take place on Thursday 29th April at 7.30pm in church. This is the meeting where we elect our churchwardens and parochial church council for the year. In order to vote for the church council you need to be on the church’s electoral roll - this is different from the national register of electors. To be eligible for the roll you must either live in the parish or have worshipped regularly at the church for six months and be over sixteen years of age.

From 21st March the electoral roll will be available on the tithe table. Please will you check that your name is there, that it is spelt correctly and that we have your current address? If you would like your name to be put on the roll, if you have recently moved to the parish for example, please ask either of the churchwardens for a form. Each year the roll is revised and the name of people whose membership of the church appears to have lapsed is removed from the roll.

If anyone is interested in standing for election to the PCC, please will you let one of the churchwardens know?

Thank you to everyone who donated lilies and other flowers in memory of loved ones. The church will be decorated for Easter on Saturday, 3rd April. All help gladly received!

Easter is the oldest and the most important Christian Festival, the celebration of the death and coming to life again of Jesus Christ. For Christians, the dawn of Easter Sunday with its message of new life is the high point of the Christian year. Easter is the story of Jesus’ last days in Jerusalem before his death. The Easter story includes Maundy Thursday (the last Supper leading to the Eucharist), Good Friday (the day on which Jesus was crucified) and Easter day (the day on which Jesus came back to life).

Pagan traditions give us the English word "Easter" which comes from the word "Eostre". The Anglo-Saxon word for April was "Eostre-monath" (the month of openings). However, it should be remembered that Christians celebrated the resurrection of Christ long before the word "Easter" was used, and the word they used for the celebration was "Pascha", which is derived from and linked to the Jewish festival of Passover. According to Bede, the English monastic historian, the English word Easter comes from the Anglo-Saxon name for the month of April, which was known as "Estremonath" in the Anglo-Saxon tongue and since Pascha was most often celebrated in Eostremonath, the English began calling it "Easter". Bede also notes that the month was named after the Anglo-Saxon goddess Esostre. Rituals related to the goddess Eostre focus on new beginnings, symbolized by the Easter egg, and fertility, which is symbolized by the hare (or Easter bunny).