Napier Baptist

This year at Napier Baptist we're attempting to journey a little more through the whole Easter story rather than Easter Sunday being just another Sunday where we sing with more gusto. We are adding in a Last Supper/Passover meal on Maundy Thursday (6pm) and a Tenebrae service on Good Friday (8pm). This year we want to try and journey through the upper room, through the darkness of Good Friday, the abandonment of Christ on the cross and then into good news that God raised Jesus from the dead and vindicated him and his ways and not our ways. Through this journey I want to invite you to recognise yourself within the drama of the Easter story, to see yourself within the Easter story.

William Loader has a brilliant reflection this based on Lk. 23:34 and our need to see ourselves within the story of Easter:
"The war crimes tribunal was assembled. Caiaphas and his cohorts, Pilate and his, were marched in. There were other charges against Pilate. For this session all stood accused of conspiracy to murder an innocent man, Jesus from Nazareth. The judge read the charges. Immediately from the gallery a voice cried out, ‘But he said, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." The judge responded: ‘Forgiveness is only possible when people realise what they have done. Until then their guilt remains and failing to appreciate the dimensions of their act they cannot forgive themselves and cannot receive forgiveness from others.’ ‘Crucify them! Crucify them!’ others shouted. The judge replied: ‘Why answer violence with violence? Why mourn love with hate?’ ‘Let us beat them, whip them, punish them,’ cried others. ‘Punishment,’ replied the judge, ‘is an admission of failure, a strategy of despair.’ ‘What, then, are we to do with these who killed the Christ?’ the crowd retorted. The judge stood to his feet, looking left and right, then turning to the accused, he said: ‘Your sentence is to hear the story again and again every year, until you recognise your part in the drama, see yourselves in the scene.’"

The Easter story calls us to recognise our part in the drama, to see ourselves in the scene. We hope that through this year's Easter journey we might have a deeper appreciation of Christ's sacrifice and what is truly good news to all people. That the darkness and terror of Good Friday (the gravitiy of sin and Christ's crucifixion) is organically linked to what makes Easter Sunday and the resurrection such Good News.

Hope to see ya there...