For the whole 50 days of Easter, the stations of the cross and resurrection are available for people to encounter and use as a form of spiritual devotion.  I have now been round a couple of times using the book that I and David Harris put together.  The first time I went around, I didn’t give it enough time, so it had very little effect on me.  But the second time, when I had time to slow down, look at the details of the paintings and to take some silence at each station, I was profoundly moved.

The difficulty of Holy Week and Easter in its annual cycle, is that it becomes familiar, and that we can remain at the surface of ourselves and the meaning of these seasons, so that then we receive very little from it.  However this years focus on personal transformation, has helped me not to sit back, but to emotionally open up and make myself vulnerable and open to spiritual experience through the art.  I have therefore really benefited from an intimate encounter with God through the services, the vigil and now through the stations of the cross.  For the season of Easter, I am intending to return at least once a week to the stations as an aid to my spiritual life.

Try it, it may help you.  The stations remain in St the Church of St Mary Aldermary for sometime until the end of the season of Easter.  We will be recording an interview with Adam Boulter the artist shortly.

At the Moot Community Easter Sunday Service, Aaron Kennedy explores the shock, beauty and paradox of the resurrection, and what it means for Christians in 21st Century at different stages in the spiritual journey of faith. This is followed by the Easter Peace and a hymn. Christ is Risen, He is Risen Indeed!

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So today the Christian Church Universal celebrates the shock that Jesus CHrist rose from the dead. This was not anticipated or expected. It shockingly brought to focus that might and violence would not have the final word, but instead, the love of God will overpower all things that distorts. Christ is Risen! If you are around, we have a service today at St Mary Aldermary where we will also put out the last station of the cross, The Resurrection.

In this weeks podcast, Ian Mobsby explores the theme of Christ’s Resurrection in John 20:19-31 alongside the calling for hope and risk-taking to replace fear. Shalom, the Jewish theologial understanding of God’s outworking of love in and to the world, becomes the Kingdom of God, and the disciples are challenged to live out this love in the Kingdom, through the peace of God’s Shalom in openness to the world. This is our challenge as emerging and fresh expressions of church, to catch up with what God is already doing. To listen to the podcast click the link below.

Happy, Happy Easter!

Today we have published Sam Rowland’s homily by podcast, where he reflects on lament and hope in the context of personal experience. Click here to hear it.