Happy Easter!

Holy Week: Good Friday

We've got several services on today:

the Walk of Witness starts from Mistley Church at 12pm, 

ending in an Outdoor Service at the Manningtree Ox at 12.20pm

The Reflections on the Cross meditation will be at 1pm at Bradfield, 

and The Nail Good Friday service will be at Mistley at 2pm

As well as our services and events, see below for a multimedia meditative art piece, 

remembering the events of Good Friday. 

This was created and performed by an artist called Scott Erickson for his Church a few years ago, using the narrative of the stations of the cross, with the music of Radiohead, all combined with live painting. See here for his website: if you can't immediately see the info on this video, scroll down and you should find it on the left. 


The Crucifixion According to Radiohead from Ecclesia Houston on Vimeo.

All original material by Scott Erickson. Please go to his website to find out more.

Holy Week: Maundy Thursday

We have a service today, 9.30am at Bradfield Church 

Do join us for this formal-style service if you can

If you can't join us, or if you'd like to carry on walking this Holy Week with us, then read on...

Maundy Thursday is one of those days that as the years go on, the more significant I find it. It is so chock-full of symbolism.

So, did you know the significance of the meal? It wasn't just any old meal that they ate on Jesus' last night of freedom, but Passover, the celebration of the Israelites' rescue from Egypt. Part of this involved eating bread and drinking wine. Jesus was taking their old traditions and re-appropriating them, giving the disciples' history new significance, allowing them to stand upon on it, not get bogged down in it.

So there wasn't just one cup of wine, but four, each to be drunk at a significant point in the meal, each with its own meaning.

1. The Cup of Sanctification: “I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians”
2. The Cup of Deliverance: “I will deliver you from slavery to them”
3. The Cup of Redemption: “I will redeem you with an outstretched arm”
4. The Cup of Restoration: “I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God”

Here's the thing. I believe that during the meal, the Last Supper, they drank the first three. I understand, however, that they did not drink the final cup. In other words...

They drank in that they were set apart, set free, and redeemed. Their restoration waited a few more days.

The other thing that I feel that I took far too long to realise, is that when bread is broken and wine shared, and Jesus says to 'remember' Him, it's not just about eating while you think about Jesus, or drinking because of what He's done. It's literally re-membering Him. Each of us, with our bit of the puzzle, coming back together, making a whole beautiful picture of our salvation.

The video below has been made by Friends and Heroes, who have animated stories of Jesus for teaching purposes, and they've made this one free for anyone who wants to use it!


See here for more information on Friends and Heroes and this video.

Holy Week: Wednesday

Tonight we've got Life Together, our monthly meeting where we have time for more in-depth worship, for discussions, and for more prayer, all around tables with pudding and coffee. Tonight's theme is The Experience of Gethsemane, thinking about times of difficulty, when God doesn't feel near. It's 7.15pm at Mistley Church.

So today, amongst other things, is the day when Mary Magdalene washed Jesus' feet in her tears, and poured incredibly expensive perfume over Him. I'm not going to expound some theological thoughts on this: the internet is at your finger-tips. 

Instead, let's do something. Get a tissue, and put a good amount of something strongly smelling on it. Preferably something pleasant. It could be perfume. Olbas Oil would work nicely. Put a decent amount on the tissue, then carry it around with you. I appreciate this might not be doable if you're hanging out with people who are, say, allergic to perfume, so please be considerate and feel free to leave your strongly-smelling tissue in your car. Boy, will that smell when you get back in there...

The point is, Jesus was anointed by someone who valued Him. She faced derision and questions about what the heck she was doing, because she thought He was worth it. 

And Jesus would have carried the scent of her worship for days. Have you every considered that every action of Good Friday, every mark made on Jesus' body would have just released more of that perfume back into the air? I think by the end of Good Friday I would never want to smell nard again.

So today, carry perfume with you. Remember how Mary valued Jesus. And remember how He valued her for doing it. 

Holy Week: Tuesday

Trying to sort the events of Holy Week into real-time days, I've found that Tuesday is a bit of an issue. Jesus appears to spend the whole day teaching. From Mark 11:20 to 13:37, all he does is talk. And occasionally walk. There is nothing I can artistically write over a hipster picture that sums up the day, when he swings from paying poll-tax to the destruction of the temple, to the most important commandment, to the legitimacy of John's baptism...it goes on and on. Except reading it again, there is something that stands out.

Mark 13:3-4

3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”

New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® 

Jesus has spent all day saying provocative things to powerful people. His disciples, spending the day with Him, must have seen the faces of the Chief Priests. They must have noticed that questions are posed in the hopes of trapping Him. They must have been tempted to bundle Him out of there and go and sit somewhere quiet where He can't say anything outrageous, and then, just as they finally get Him out of the temple, and think they're on safe ground discussing architecture, Jesus tells them that all of the buildings will be destroyed to nothing.

I can picture this so clearly. I can see myself there, wincing. Part of me is properly annoyed that He couldn't just appreciate the columns. Part of me wants Him to stop saying those things. And part of me is with Peter, James, John and Andrew, getting in a quiet corner and asking what He's talking about, maybe so that I'm ready. Maybe so that I'm nowhere near.

Holy Week is hard. My Lent readings have had me already read about Good Friday, so I can tell you from experience: walking this road is brutal, and I wasn't even there.

Here's the other thing: Jesus knew what was coming, and He kept teaching.

He knew what was coming, and He kept saying the things that would get Him in trouble.

He knew what was coming, and He kept saying the hard things. The true things.

He knew what was coming, and He kept walking the road.

These middle days are important, not least because of just that: Jesus told us to follow Him. If Jesus walked this road, fully knowing everything that was going to happen, who am I to wimp out now?

Holy Week: Monday

So on the back of Palm Sunday yesterday, we're starting a week of posts, walking through this Holy Week. We're going to use Bible readings, images, videos, music, and even a multimedia meditative art piece on Friday. I'm not even kidding.

Today, we're starting quietly with a reading from Matthew, remembering when Jesus overturned the tables in the temple. May we, this Easter, have our hearts overturned to see more of Jesus' love.

Matthew 21:12-16

Jesus went straight to the Temple and threw out everyone who had set up shop, buying and selling. He kicked over the tables of loan sharks and the stalls of dove merchants. He quoted this text:My house was designated a house of prayer;You have made it a hangout for thieves.Now there was room for the blind and crippled to get in. They came to Jesus and he healed them. When the religious leaders saw the outrageous things he was doing, and heard all the children running and shouting through the Temple, “Hosanna to David’s Son!” they were up in arms and took him to task. “Do you hear what these children are saying?”Jesus said, “Yes, I hear them. And haven’t you read in God’s Word, ‘From the mouths of children and babies I’ll furnish a place of praise’?”

From The Message, Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

Holy Week

Join us here this week, for various ways to remember the events of Holy Week, all leading up to Easter Sunday.