Celebrating Easter is a bit weird, don’t you think?

At least at Christmas you get presents and think about babies.

Easter is very different, it’s about remembering an innocent man called Jesus who was betrayed and deserted by his friends, arrested, beaten by his jailers, and had false charges brought against him.

If that wasn’t bad enough he was found guilty by a kangaroo court, his countrymen turned against him and he was handed over to the occupying authorities who cruelly nailed his hands and feet to a wooden cross and all that after being ridiculed and tormented.

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all write about it so it must be important.

Matthew reports earthquakes and the conspiracy between the religious leaders and the Roman rulers to get the guards to say they fell asleep and somebody pinched the body.

Mark and Luke have angelic beings, temple curtains being torn from top to bottom and John has more than one Mary in his account. They are messy in their telling but read together give an authentic account on what happened. They’re like any modern witness reporting a crime, seen from different points of view. For those who think the disciples made it up you’d think they would at least collude to get their details straight.

The thing is, Jesus, crucified and buried isn’t the point of Easter. We’re not asked to believe Jesus lived and died but we’re challenged to believe that God died and lived! It’s why Christians are excited and like those early witnesses want everyone to know who Jesus is and why he came.

So, during April, the churches in the area are delivering to every household a copy of ‘try praying’. It contains a story and a prayer for each day for a week. If you find it helpful, please, get in contact with any of the churches who will be pleased to hear from you.

Graham Fish

Kingsbridge Family Church