THE FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT (Passion Sunday)
21st March 2026
Greetings.
Can these dry bones live? The name of the artist escapes me, but the question is the title of a fine Victorian painting of a woman leaning over a gravestone, clearly troubled by doubt. Tomorrow's gospel (John ch.11) is The Raising of Lazarus, a story which anticipates Jesus' own resurrection. We hear it as we turn to follow him, walking the way of the cross in these last two weeks of Lent. Can the dead be raised? The rational mind is full of doubt. But walking with Jesus in the way of the Cross gives a different perspective. Rational thought by itself is not enough. It must unite with active participation in the story itself, participation in which the suspension of disbelief yields insights and riches that are otherwise unavailable to us.
We are made for both contemplation and action and it is in the marriage of the two that truth is revealed and personal growth made possible. And this is the wonderful thing about the services of Passiontide and Holy Week. As best we can, we re-enact the story to experience it from the inside as participants rather than as distant onlookers. As such we cannot dictate in advance what it will reveal to us, but the more engaged we are the greater the rewards will be. Even though we know the story, at least in its broad outlines, arriving at Easter immersed in that whole gamut of emotions around agony, betrayal and loss, puts us in the best place to receive anew God's inexplicable gifts of joy, assurance and hope.Otherwise, what is Easter other than a shallow and sickly confection of fluffiness and chocolate?
Blessings,
Charles Booth
The Pew sheet with notices and readings is attached. Please note the following:
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Jenny Lewis is moving to pastures new at Easter. We say farewell on Easter Morning and as we pray for a joyful new beginning for Jenny in Norfolk, we also pray for new beginnings here. We are seeking to recruit a new churchwarden and wardens' assistants to take on some of the wardens' Sunday 10am duties. Of course, everyone has legitimate reasons not to step up. But where would we be if Jesus had refused the Way of the Cross?
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