Eastertide greetings! Alleluia! Christ is risen!
Every year I am struck by a different layer of meaning about Easter, though of course, it’s not new at all – I just hadn’t seen or grasped it before. This year I especially notice how Easter is about an unbreakable bond, of love, of God’s love.
Most of us will be painfully aware of what is broken or breaking. Whether this is because we or people close to us are struggling with illness, or because of the suffering and uncertainty provoked by the war in Ukraine or heightened tension and conflicts in many places in the world. It maybe the state of our environment that creates in us a sense that things are just not right. At the same time, many at Great St Mary’s and all around us, give tirelessly of their time and talents in acts of loving service, to help others who are struggling, or to enable church communities or other organisations to make the world a better place. It is in all of these moments, whether of serving others, or in a state of bewilderment about the world, that I realise that we are held by an unbreakable bond of love. In the Easter story, Jesus’ disciples, after three years of sharing in Christ’s loving service to the sick and needy, found themselves despairing, bewildered, frightened that the one in whom they had placed their hopes, the one in whom they found acceptance and love, had been killed. But then came the extraordinary experience of seeing Jesus face to face again, risen from the dead. I have no doubt of the reality of that experience, of the reality of the resurrection – how else could their despair be turned to such incredibly courageous hope? And so, the church was born. This eMag bears witness to the many bonds of service and love, in which the people of Great St Mary’s give of their time and talents, enabling others to be part of our family in the centre of Cambridge. Please, do make time to look at it all. We are in the process of recruiting for two full-time posts, which are at the centre of facilitating these bonds of love. Pray for God’s provision and wisdom in our recruitment processes and discernment for a permanent Director of Music and a new Vicar. The Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) on Sunday 30th April provides an important opportunity to take stock and say ‘Thank You’ to everyone who has enabled the church to fulfil its ministry and mission in the last year. 2022 brought a lot of challenges and change, and held by the bonds of God’s love, we continue to be a vibrant church. We are extremely grateful for our long-serving church wardens, Margaret and Joye, for their outstanding service to Great St Mary’s with St Michael, and to everyone who is part of creating the ‘bonds of love’ that enable out church to be a welcoming and caring community. We need new people to come forward and participate in roles of lay leadership, by joining the PCC, becoming a Deanery Synod rep and (assistant) church warden, with a view to taking on the role for a year or more. Or, to volunteer in any way you feel able to do, so that Great St Mary’s can continue to flourish and be a community of courage and hope for many. Peace and Grace, Jutta