Easter Reflections

“5  But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. 6  All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him
    the sins of us all.” Isaiah 53 NLT Its nearly easter already! unbelievable how this year has flown so far! the longer I have been a Christian, the more easter has come to mean to me each year. of course, Jesus dying for my sin has always meant more to me than I could ever express, what I mean is that as I carry on my Christian life, still a sinner, and more and more aware of my sins and how they hurt Jesus, the more and more his death means to me. The more he forgives, the deeper my gratitude! We have spent a few easters away at Jaywick in Essex. when we’re there we attend Frinton Free Church. A few years ago Dad and I went on Good Friday and as well as the usual hymns, readings, and very poignant sermon, there was another reminder of what Jesus had suffered on the cross, this time, it was something that we could physically carry. As we left the church, we were each given a nail. Now I have grown up with nails, hammers, saws, drills etc being part of life, since my brother is a joiner and my dad a Handyman. I have always looked at the sharp little nails, and thought about how horrible it would be to have one go through my hand and how horrible it must have been for Jesus. but actually, the nails in my dad’s shed, were nothing like the nails that would have held Jesus on the cross. the nails we were handed were not an exact copy either, but they were cut nails, cut from a piece of steel, and rather like the blacksmith’s nails which would have been used to nail Jesus to the cross! Instead of the sharp point on the round nails we are used too, these had square ends, which were tapered to a rather blunt point. These nails were strong, sturdy, and did not bend when a hammer hit them at the wrong angle. I really really can’t imagine the sheer agony of having one of those nails shoved through my hands and feet! it really bought home to me, like never before, how much Jesus suffered, and was willing to bare, to forgive me! That same easter, we were trying to relay the easter story to the children in our youth group and sunday school. Someone found a horrible pointy stick with sharp points coming off it and bent it into a makeshift crown. All of the kids were allowed to gently touch it, and pass round the nail. Then a brave (or foolish depending on how you look at it) adult tried resting the crown on his head. he said that the sharp points scratched his head when they were only resting there. Jesus’s crown would have been pushed onto his head so that it broke the skin and drew blood. Another eyeopener for me. I suppose that even though i’ve been a Christian for many years, i’ve only ever had my imagination as to how horrific the crucifixion was. What I imagined didn’t even come close! I know that we can’t picture it to its full extent, and we’ll never be able to do that, but somehow these basic things, the nail and the makeshift crown helped me come to an even deeper understanding of what my precious saviour bore for me that day, and just how much he must have loved me to go through that when he didn’t have to. Now each year I look forward to a fresh discovery of the cross and its meaning, and sing my heart out on easter Sunday that he didn’t stay in the ground and that Satan, Sin, and Death were conquered by him! the Cross isn’t the end, its the start of Life in Jesus Christ. yes, you’ll still sin, yes, you’ll let him down, we all do. but if we are truly sorry, Jesus will forgive. I hope this easter opens someone else's eyes as the previous easters have opened mine. “I shall know him I shall know him, and redeemed by his side I shall stand! I shall know him I shall know him, by the print of the nails in his hands!” Fanny J Crosby.

6 months of marriage

On March 7th, Will and I had been married for 6 months. Well, since our fairy-tale wedding, I can honestly say it’s been a bed of roses! Flowers every day, breakfast in bed, and never a cross word between us! Not convinced? Ok then, so maybe it hasn’t been quite as idyllic  as that.  When everybody tells you that marriage is something to be worked at, that it’s very different to just going out with someone, and that “you think you know someone before you get married, but you’ll find you’re learning new things about them every day,” you just smile and think “I know that.” Actually it’s true, but you only truly realise that after you’re married and look back.  I think in the first few months, Will and I spent a lot of time getting to know each other’s mood swings, as well as working out where we wanted to put things in the flat, then getting used to the things we do differently, like how we make tea or hang out washing. That takes some getting used to, and I could tell you some funny stories like the day Will poured fabric softener down the toilet instead of bleach. I could also tell you about disasters like the day I stepped on Will’s computer and broke the mouse pad (because I didn’t know it was on the floor). We have learnt that we have to be organised and consistent with things, since neither of us can see if something is not in its right place. We’ve had to establish who does what in the house, and in fact it’s worked out that we both share things equally, apart from emptying the bin which is definitely Will’s job!  As part of my attempt to be the best wife possible, I learnt to iron recently. My mum did try and teach me when I was younger, but I told her that “my husband can iron his own shirts, he needn't expect me to do it!” In actual fact neither of us could iron so I learnt and quite enjoy it.   Getting used to each other and a new house is pretty standard for any new couple, but we also had the challenge of getting used to our new area too. People around Potton are very helpful and quick to assist us if we get stuck which helps.  Though it’s a challenge sometimes, and there are days which are hard going for us both, it’s also wonderful to have someone to share the rest of your life with. We might get each other’s moods wrong at times, really annoy each other, or say the wrong thing, but we trust God to bring us through the hard times.  We really enjoy studying together and praying, and our hope is that our marriage will be God-centred. Recently we’ve opened our home to hold Christianity Explored and Discipleship Explored courses, which has been a great blessing.   It’s not all romance and flowers, and there have been and will be hard times to come. It’s a case of day-to-day love, both of each other and of God and neither of us would change a thing.