Easter Away

from Licensed Lay Minister - Ruth Grenfell

It was an absolute joy to spend the Easter holidays with our family in France. Our daughter Rachel and her family live close to Lake Geneva and the French Alpes. The setting is stunning and our daughter Pippa and her family joined us. It was such fun. 
 
Yet I have to admit we missed you all and the marking of Good Friday when we remember the death of Jesus and the desolation of those who loved and followed him. We missed the bleak remembrance of Easter Saturday when hope seemed extinguished. We missed the explosion of joy on Easter morning and the fire outside St John’s - I hope you had a fire this year!
 
What we did was visit the church (pictured) in the nearby village of Messery and we prayed alone, as a service was being held elsewhere. There was something poignant about the emptiness of that little church which resonated with the current state of the world. I still find Easter Saturday the most difficult of days but we had children and grandchildren around us and we felt blessed. 
 
When we woke on Easter morning as there always is, there was the realisation that the life gave was not extinguished but risen! God restored hope in Jesus. Hope is a precious, threatened experience in the cruelty and pointlessness of war, yet hope lives in the risen Jesus. No service nearby but we were thrilled to tune into the live transmission of the Easter morning service from Ripon Cathedral. There was something very special about feeling that people in Ripon, anyone far from home or unable to go out could share in this profession of faith it was exhilarating. Wherever we are, this miracle is for us, all of us everywhere! He is risen indeed! ALLELUIA! 
 
Thank you to all the family for your welcome, we had a memorable time! We saw snow high in the mountains and watched those younger than we are, skiing; it was breathtaking. We saw drifts of spring flowers as the snow receded and we saw the sparkling lake and enjoyed wonderful company.
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