Holy Week

Published:

Wed Mar 16 '16

Author:

Liam Thatcher

Tags:

bible, bible study, easter, email, prayer, reflect, think

If you’re anything like me, Easter can whizz by almost without you noticing it. Cadburys Creme Eggs are in the shops from Boxing Day, you’ve eaten too many by the end of January and entirely forgotten about Easter by February, until suddenly you get an unexpected Friday off and you realise you’ve not given it a moment’s thought!

Easter, the celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus, is the central event of the Christian calendar, and yet we can so easily become familiar with the story and forget to reflect deeply on its significance.

We want to make a feature of Easter, providing a number of ways for you to think about, respond to and celebrate its inspiring message.

In the week running up to Easter, we will be producing a daily Bible Study, to help us reflect on different aspects of the Easter story. Each morning, beginning on Monday March 21, an email will arrive in your inbox bright and early (around 5am… rest assured, I won’t be the one getting up to hit ‘send’!) containing a short Bible Study. This year we will be basing the Bible studies in Isaiah 52-53. If you’re signed up to receive our email newsletter, you will get the Bible Studies automatically each day. If you’re not already subscribed, you can sign up today.

Each email will contain:

A short passage of Scripture for you to read and consider
A few thoughts to help you understand the passage and see the story in a new light.
Two or three questions for reflection. These will help you to consider how the passage applies directly into your life.
A short prayer, which may help you to respond to the theme of the study.
And finally, for those who want it there is a Going Deeper section, which will recommend some talks, articles, books, and further study questions.

We don’t anticipate that it will take you long to read through and think about each of these elements, but hopefully it will give you something to chew on for the rest of the day. So why not set aside a short time during your day, whenever suits you – morning, lunchtime, evening – to read through the email, and think about some of the questions. If you don’t have time for the Going Deeper section, no problem – it’s there to help you if and when you have time.

All of us are different, and we engage with God in different ways. So think about what will best help you this Easter week. For some, first thing in the morning is the perfect time: with a cup of coffee, or whilst travelling on the tube. For others, taking time out during a lunch break is far more convenient. Some may find it helpful to write down answers to the questions, others might want to do the Bible studies with friends, housemates, work colleagues, or your Connect Group.

We will also put the studies up on Broadcast each day, as well as through Twitter and Facebook. And we are also taking this opportunity to launch our new Instagram account, with images accompanying the Scripture readings each day.

Feel free to comment, let us know what strikes you about the readings, and share them with friends.

Then on Easter Weekend itself, join us for one of our services. We will meet on March 25 for our Good Friday service at Pimlico Academy, 11.00-12.30. And on March 27 we will hold Easter services in all four of our locations across the city.

Image: Let Jesus Bring You Light, by Vinoth Chandar. Used under CC BY 2.0