Dear Friends
Christ is risen!
And this has been our paschal joy, our message to the world, our reason for the hope within us, Christ is risen! We hope in this reality, we live in this reality, we love in this reality. And the world is changed by the special presence of the Resurrection within the world.
For a month, since 5th May, we have been living in the memory of the presence of the risen Christ here among his disciples—among you and me.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there in the midst of them.
Matthew 18:20
And while this is true at all times we particularly remember it now. In the same way as we love our friends and family at all times but we demonstrate our love even more so at times of celebration such as birthdays and anniversaries, so too we demonstrate the presence of the risen Christ particularly at this time. And if we tried to eliminate birthdays and other celebrations, claiming “I love them at all times, I have no need for these,” they would not benefit, rather they would feel a loss, so it is with this Pascha season. It must come to an end so that we may celebrate it all the more.
Nevertheless, Christ is risen and his enemies have been defeated, Christ is risen and life reigns, Christ is risen and the world is made new, fresh and alive. And for one more week we continue to live in this reality.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, come. Come and let us make this Pascha a part of our lives, come and let the Resurrection of our Lord and Saviour vivify us, transform us, come and join the victory the Lord has won for our sakes. Come and see.
And when we meet and when we depart, when we rise up in the morning and return to our beds at night, when we are in hope and when we are in despair, when we rejoice and when we lament, let the words on our lips be, Christ is risen!
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
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Sermon
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, Amen.
Christ is risen!
What effect does the Gospel of the Resurrection have on your lives? What effect does it have on mine? We have heard of the victory wrought by Christ against idolatry, against sin and even against death, and that,
“as many as receive him, to them he gives the right to become children of God, to those who believe in his name:
who are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12–13)
What effect does the Gospel of the Resurrection have on our lives? We have been freed from confinement to idolatry, freed from imprisonment to sin, freed from captivity to death, and in my freedom I try to continue in my life as if nothing has changed. And the Church will be there as and when I need her.
“Among other most wicked actions, not to be expressed, which their own historian, Gildas, mournfully takes notice of,” St Bede the Venerable tells us,
“they added this that they [the British] never preached the faith to the Saxons or English, who dwelt amongst them; however, the goodness of God did not forsake his people whom he foreknew, but sent to that nation much more worthy preachers, to bring it to the faith.” (St Bede, ‘Ecclesiastical History of the English People,’ I, 22)
And I am forced to address my presumption: will the Church be there when I need her? Because if I am unwilling to build up the Church—by offering my time, my talents, my energy and my money—will she still be there? The Church in Britain was, perhaps, held back by not preaching among the English, events in the last century show that while the gates of Hades will not prevail against the Church, (Matthew 16:18) certain local churches can disappear.
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Read this Sermon, What effect does the Gospel of the Resurrection have on our lives?
Archive of Past Sermons.
Services this week
Friday 7th June
Discussion on the Gospel of Matthew, 8 pm.
Online only
Saturday 8th June
Great Vespers, 6.30 pm.
At 3rd URC Scout Hall, Chandlers Ford
Sunday 9th June
Matins and Divine Liturgy, 9 am.
At 3rd URC Scout Hall, Chandlers Ford
Online session is via Google Meet: please get in contact for the details.
Please join us: all are welcome, come and see.
Attending Church
We meet at 3rd URC Scout HQ, Kings Rd, Chandlers Ford SO53 2EY. The Scout hall is behind and to the left of the URC Church. Come and See.
Can I help you?
I am here for you, you need only ask. Is there a way I can support your life of faith? Get in touch.
Can you help the parish?
Yes, absolutely. Offer yourselves to the Lord: pray! Make available to him all your talents and ask him how he would like you to use them — listen for his reply.
Your prayers!
With love in the risen Christ
Fr Alexander
[email protected]