LENT READING LEADS TO EASTER HOPE

If you have been following our Vicar’s excellent Lent book Opening our Lives you will now have reached Easter Sunday which is entitled “The power of hope”.

To quote from his book he says that

“The resurrection carries a message that can turn the world upside down and inside out—a message about faith, love and, most of all, HOPE.”

He goes on to conclude that “Hope is to be found in letting go of the things we think are important to us, looking at the empty cross and then being inspired by that hope to live out his kingdom of love, peace and compassion in our everyday lives.”

An Easter Prayer from Trystan

Pray that opening ourselves to God’s kingdom helps us to share the hope, resurrection and new life of Easter with others. Ask God to bring light into the darkness that peo- ple face, hope into the hopelessness

that many feel and joy into the temptation to be cynical or grow weary. Amen

Happy Easter to you all from Rev Trystan

During St David’s last sermon his words to his followers were: “Be joyful, and keep your faith and your creed. Do the little things that you have seen me do and heard about. I will walk the path that our fathers have trod be- fore us.”

“Do the little things” has become a well-known inspirational saying in Wales.

St David is thought to have died on March 1, 589 AD, and his remains were buried in St David’s Cathedral in Pem- brokeshire, which was a popular place of pilgrimage after he was canonised in 1120 AD.

Images of St David often depict him on a hill with a white dove on his shoulder. The dove represents the Holy Spirit which gifted St David with eloquent speech when he preached.

We pray healing for the Land of our Fathers as we fight the covid pandemic.
We pray healing for all the families who have lost loved ones.

We pray strength and healing for all those work- ing in our hospitals and in the community.
In Jesus Name,

Amen

Welcome to our latest edition. I can’t believe that it’s nearly a year since we went into our first lock- down. In my garden the first crocuses have started to open,

heralding the spring. Perhaps you could look around and find those signs of spring which God gives as a sign of hope for the future year.

The vaccine is starting to come to Wales and that’s indeed a sign of hope of an end to the pandemic. Trystan has been beavering away during the lockdown writing his latest book, which is now available to purchase online. It gives a positive spin on the season of Lent.

One thing we know, as we struggle with this pandemic, is that Jesus gives us love, stability and hope, and that even in the darkest valley, His rod and His staff they comfort us.

This year we have discovered new ways of tell- ing people the good news that Jesus can be trusted even when everything around us seems lost and dangerous. Our services and preaching have gone out on the internet, reaching people who wouldn’t ever have come into our building.

This year we have started to get used to outdoor and indoor services, Podchurch, Spiritual Com- munion, a regular Bible study, and zoom prayer, all of which have greatly supplemented our ability to worship and dig deeper into our faith.

This year we have learnt the lesson that whether inside or outside our building we are the church at Christ Church. Whether inside or outside our homes we are the church at Christ Church.

Let’s remember to pray for all those in pain and sorrow at this time, all the lonely and bereft and all those grieving the loss of a loved one. All those in mental anguish and those tirelessly work- ing on the front line of the NHS.

As we look forward to 2021 with great hope,

we will always hold this year in our hearts, a year when we learnt the truth afresh that Je- sus is God with us. Whatever our problems he is always with us, even in a pandemic.

HE NEVER LEAVES US…EVER

Linda Alexander