Month of April
There’s a story from Soviet-era Russia which tells of an official who was haranguing a group of villagers about the evils of religion. After he had finished, the village priest asks if he might say a few words. Reluctantly, the official agreed. The priest addressed the people with the traditional Christian Easter greeting: “Alleluia! Christ is risen,” he proclaimed. And with one voice the people replied, “He is risen indeed! Alleluia!”
On Easter Day we celebrate the risen Christ: the discovery of the empty tomb and the resurrection appearances of Jesus. But before this victory over sin and death Jesus had to go by way of the cross, its pain and its shame. Each year, during the week leading up to Easter Day we remember the last few days of Jesus’ life, and particularly His suffering for us on the cross. This year our services will be as follows: