Photo by Brady Leavall on Unsplash.

Join us Online: YouTube (from 6am Sunday)

For those who feel safe and would find it a support

to come in person to church,

then the church is open at 10:30am on Sunday

and for the Easter Reflections on Good Friday 12noon-3pm.

If you plan to come please book to attend

(booking possible for Easter Services and April 11th):

Register to attend​

Also, join us for a chat at 11:30am on Sunday: 

Click this link to join the Zoom meeting.

The angel said, "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene,

who was crucified.

He has risen! He is not here.

See the place where they laid him."

(Mark 16:6)

You may have noticed this week that the email is out a couple of days early. This is to help ensure we are well prepared for Good Friday. If you are sending something in for our services, then please make sure you do so by Thursday morning. Thank you to those who have already sent in an opener. It would be good to have a large number joining in with the Easter Sunday opener (please see below). Do also take advantage of all the different services and reflections online as we come to this most important of Christian festivals.

As we look forward to post-covid church, we need to be reminded that as the people of God, we are the new temple, a community built to the glory of God and the place where people can encounter the God who created the universe. This idea is intimately linked to the cross and resurrection of Jesus. In John 2:19, Jesus said, 'Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.' This was partly talking about his own body, which was resurrected after three days, but the temple he raises is also the people of God, the church.

The word, 'Nazarene' can of course mean someone from Nazareth. Yet, it is also linked to the Hebrew word for 'Branch.' In Zechariah 6:12-13, the High Priest is described as 'the Branch' and he was the one who would build the new temple out of the ashes of Jerusalem after the exile. By calling Jesus the Nazarene in Mark 16:6 (see also John 19:19, where the Greek has 'Nazerene' rather than 'of Nazareth'), the angels at the tomb seem to be calling Jesus 'the Branch'. He is the crucified one who builds the new church, through his death and resurrection.

All this is why the Easter events are so central to the life of the church. If we fail to focus on what God has done for us in Jesus Christ through his death and resurrection, then we have forgotten what it means to be church. So, please even in these strange times, do make the most of the opportunities this Easter to focus on the death and resurrection of Jesus once more.

Join us this Easter Sunday as we continue our series: Encounters with Jesus. This week we are looking at Mary: Where have you put him? (John 20:1-17).

You can also access our Easter Reflections​ coming out each day this week on the website and check out details about the rest of our Easter Services​ including the Easter Story, which is aimed at children and will be available on YouTube and the website from Good Friday morning.

Please read on...

• Prayer: Opener to send in, some further prayers for Good Friday and Easter and the weekly prayer requests.
• Care: Venture holidays for young people are going ahead this Summer and can be booked from this evening on their website.
• Share: Ideas for sharing the Easter Story and an article about how one person is using Minecraft to build church!

Contributions to this week's Opener

For Easter Sunday:  We need people responding to:

"Hallelujah, Christ is risen!" with 

He is risen indeed, Hallelujah!

Please send contributions in as soon as possible (by 10am on Thursday). You can send them by Whatsapp (07769 871520) or by WeTransfer.com to: [email protected].

Prayers for Holy Week and Easter

The Bible Reading fellowship have made available some prayers to be used through this week in the lead up to Easter and beyond. 

Read more..

Prayer Requests:

​​Be assured I will do my best to check that people are happy for the requests to be shared before including them. Please pray for...

• Rosemary Ebelthite's cousin's son Grant. He has cystic fibrosis and by God's grace has reached the age of 40. He needs a double lung and liver transplant, a first in South Africa and is waiting to see if it can go ahead.

• Joy Smithers is in hospital. The pins are now removed from her leg and she can now bend her ankle! She is in good spirits, but still in hospital.

• Jean Mayton who had a serious bleed on the brain recently. Give thanks that she is now in a care home and showing signs of improvement, even beginning to try to speak.
  

• Shirley Crabb that her hip operation can go ahead soon.

• Annie's mum that they can find the right residential care home for her.

• Flo Baldock having problems with her stomach. Pray for wisdom for the doctors on how to treat her after her scan.

• Nathan Court for his continuing treatment.

• Barb (Gloria's daughter's friend) starting radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

• Jeannette (Claudia's sister). The cancer has not spread and she has started chemotherapy.

CPAS Ventures for young people

These are great holidays for older children and young people. A chance to be away from home in a safe environment with lots of exciting activities, new friends from around the country and a chance to learn more about Jesus in a different setting.

My children have really enjoyed and been really blessed through attending these ventures and if you have older children or teenagers who might be interested I would really encourage you to consider sending them on these ventures.

If they are going for the first time, you can also ask for a discount as St. Luke's is a CPAS church.

To find out more about the ventures check out this website. Bookings opened this evening!

Last Week's Talk:

Encounters with Jesus: Pilate - Are you the king of the Jews? -  Available Online

Jesus is brought to Pilate, the Roman governor, the most powerful person in Judea, the only one who can officially condemn Jesus to death. The Jewish leaders demand that Jesus be executed. Who has the real power here? What is the truth about what is happening? What kind of king is Jesus

St. Luke's Stories

​Do keep sending in more 'life stories' so we can add them to our page. You could use the online survey for reflecting on the Pandemic​ to submit some thoughts to share on St. Luke's stories.

If you haven't read any of the stories on the page yet then check it out here.

Interesting Blogs and Videos

Sharing the story of Easter with your children

This website from 'Parenting for faith' contains some great ideas for sharing the Easter Story with your children.

Welcome to Minecraft Church

Minecraft is one of the most popular computer games on the planet, and now it is playing host to spiritual communities, thanks to a handful of mission pioneers. One of them is the Rev Kevin Colyer, as pioneer curate in Berkshire and a graduate of CMS Pioneer Mission Leadership Training.

There will not be an email next week as I am taking a week's break. However, we will be back the week after.

Have a blessed Easter and remember to celebrate the central moment for our faith!

Yours in the crucified and risen Christ,

Paul Worledge 

Vicar, St. Luke's Ramsgate

www.stlukesramsgate.org​