4 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2022</strong> Please mention <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> when responding to this advertisement BOOKING NOW DIRECTED BY BRIAN BLESSED 28 APR - 25 JUN 30 JUN - 20 AUG THE WATERWHEEL BAR Open Tuesday - Sunday 11am - 5pm for Hot Bar Food, Homemade Cakes & Artisan Coffee. Come and treat yourself to a scrumptious lunch in the most beautiful setting. 8 SEP - 5 NOV FIND (0118) OUT 969 7082 MORE PLEASE FIND FULL MENU ONLINE millatsonning.com/millang
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 5 <strong>The</strong> vicar's letter DEAR FRIENDS, After the non-event of Easter 2020 and the tentative half celebration in 2021, we are now able to fully celebrate Easter again which is just as well as it is so central to our faith. <strong>The</strong> writer, C S Lewis, referred to our faith as one unashamedly based on miracles, and called the resurrection the central miracle. His friend and fellow writer, J R R Tolkien, referred to Easter as a 'eucatastrophe,' or good catastrophe, a radical and miraculous turn in human history. <strong>The</strong>re's no way around the resurrection in Christianity. If it were not true, it would be up to us to abandon Christianity and seek some other way to serve God. If this central fact were not the core of our confession, we would be wasting our time. <strong>The</strong> most incredible thing in the world happened and people were willing to die horribly in the early years of the faith to uphold that witness, and others, having seen the sincerity of their deaths, were willing to die as well. That tradition continues today. More Christians have been martyred the world over in the past century than in all the Christian centuries before. Why, for a fairy-tale? I think not. THE FUNDAMENTALS However, in order to celebrate Easter, we have to know about it. Some people simply don't even know who Jesus is. Some people in the world today have never heard the good news about Jesus Christ. <strong>The</strong>y don't know about the manger, about the baptism, the temptation, the Sermon on the Mount, the triumphant entry, the upsetting of the money changers, the contentions in the temple, and the breaking of the bread. <strong>The</strong>y know nothing of the plotting, the conniving, the betraying, the arresting, the condemning, the torturing, the murdering, the burying and then the resurrection. This is why the church must constantly strive to teach the fundamentals of our faith, not just taking knowledge for granted. Our Alpha course was a great opportunity for this last year, and this year, from September, we shall have two Confirmation groups for young people and adults, both seeking to instruct and nurture. In addition, Sunday Club and STAY on Sunday offer ongoing teaching, three times a month, for children and young people and Messy Church does the same for our littlest ones. OVERWHELMINGLY IMPORTANT <strong>The</strong> resurrection is not just a trick or a wonder. It's an alteration to the world, to society, to us. It's either the most important thing that has ever happened, or it is time to be honest about things and do something else on Sundays. Archbishop Michael Ramsey once said 'I see no escape from the dilemma: either Jesus is fraudulent, or his claim is true: either we judge him for being terribly amiss, or we let him judge us'. For me, I am convinced the resurrection happened. <strong>The</strong> Bible tells us that over 500 people witnessed the resurrected Jesus and they were changed, emboldened to spread the news, even in the face of violence and death. <strong>The</strong>y knew that there was nowhere they couldn’t go, no place they dare not go, to take this overwhelmingly important message. It was not something to be kept to themselves. <strong>The</strong> church today needs to learn from them. It is imperative that we get the word out, not just this Easter, but every day of every year! Christ is risen! Happy Easter! Warm wishes, Jamie