Poet Steve Turner reassembles the Nativity Cast for Easter!

Take the wise men to the Emperor’s palace.
Wash their hands in water.
Get them to say something about truth.
Does anyone know any good Jewish jokes?
The one about a carpenter
who thought he was a King?
The one about the Saviour
who couldn’t save himself?
The shepherds should stand with the chorus.
They have a big production number -
‘Barabbas, We Love You Baby’.
Mary? She can move to the front.
We have a special section reserved
for family and close friends.
Tell her that we had to cut the manger up.
We needed the wood for something else.
The star I’m afraid I can’t use.
There are no stars in this show.
The sky turns black with sorrow.
The earth shakes with terror.
Hold on to the frankincense.
We’ll need that for the garden scene.
Angels? He could do with some angels.
Avenging angels.
Merciful angels.
He could really do with some angels.
Baby Jesus.
Step this way please.
My! How you’ve grown!

Easter Sweets

Church of the Nazarene Knowle Park Bristol BS4 2RD

Easter - Biggest Painting by Numbers!

The greatest story ever told could become the biggest painting-by-numbers picture ever made. That’s because more than 500 people from across Loughborough have just completed a massive picture telling the Easter story as their contribution to Hope08, and it’s going to be verified for a possible entry in the Guinness Book Of Records.

Nine different scenes – depicting the main Easter events from Palm Sunday to Resurrection Day – are coming together. Sections will be added each day, on a huge scaffolding frame that has been put up just outside Emmanuel Church.

Longer than a football pitch and taller than a two-storey house, The Bigger Picture – as it is called – has been done in numbered sections by schools, community groups, churches and families, with even the Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Rev Tim Stevens wielding a brush.

This community creation will have taken 2,500 pots of paint and two miles of scaffolding to come to life. And hundreds of people are expected to descend on the site on Easter Monday for a huge party, as the last board is put in place.

"It’s taken on a life of its own," said project co-ordinator Euan Lockwood. "Everyone’s blown away by how it’s come together. We’re constantly reminded that God is in charge – and he’s opening doors in a massive way."

The idea emerged from a meeting of Loughborough church leaders who wanted to link in with Hope08. Phil Weaver, pastor of New Springs Centre, challenged his colleagues, "Let’s go for the world record!" And so the project sprang into action.

Local companies have donated the paint and the scaffolding.

"Most churches have had some involvement in putting it together," said publicity co-ordinator Steve Burgess. "This is a tremendous evangelistic tool."

Easter - Just another statistic? What does Easter mean to you?

Over half of Britons believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, according to new research published over the weekend by Theos, the public theology think tank. The publication of the research coincides with the launch of The Passion, the major new drama for Easter on BBC One which begins this Sunday. The series - which unusually deals in detail with Jesus' resurrection - will inevitably raise questions as to whether he really did rise from the dead. The survey suggests that, for the majority of the population, this question has already been answered.

57% of people questioned in the ComRes poll said they believe that Jesus was executed by crucifixion, buried and rose from the dead, with over half of those (30% of the total sample) accepting the traditional Christian belief in the bodily resurrection of Christ and the rest (27%) believing that Jesus rose in spirit form. This widespread belief clearly informs people’s more general attitude to life after death. Over half of people said they believe in some kind of existence after death, although most of those (44% of the total) believe that 'your spirit lives on after death'. Only 9% said they believe in a personal physical resurrection.

The Theos research also examined who people thought Jesus was. Two in five (40%) said they believe that Jesus was the son of God and nearly half (47%) that he was a holy prophet. When asked whether they thought Jesus was a good man and wise teacher, 66% of people agreed. Only 11% disagreed. Surprisingly, 13% of people claim that Jesus never existed, despite the fact that respected historians unanimously agree that he did.

On the question of Easter’s significance today, 43% of the public believe that the Easter story is about Jesus dying for the sins of the world while only 26% think that the Easter story has no meaning today. Only 1% think the story shows that violence can only be defeated through violence.

The opinions of atheists are especially interesting. 23% of respondents identified themselves as such, but 14% of these think Easter was about Jesus dying for the sins of the world, 12% believe he rose again from the dead, and, remarkably, 7% think he was son of God.

Church of the Nazarene Broadwalk Knowle Bristol BS4 2RD

Early and Cold Easter - even a little snow tomorrow!

This year, the Holy day of Easter occurs on the second earliest date possible. In fact, Easter will not be celebrated this early again until the year 2228, or 220 years from now. Only our congregation members who are 95 or older have experienced Easter as early as March 23.Early Easters are typically chilly affairs for those of us in the Northern latitudes. Some sunrise services will remind participants of the connection between the physical elements of Creation and God’s incredible intervention in the Resurrection. Easter celebrations in the warmth and beauty of churches remind us of the symbolism so frequently associated with this event. The altars and platforms of some of our sanctuaries will be lined with Easter lilies. For some worshipers, the trip to church this Sunday morning may even include the sighting of daffodils, the harbingers of spring.In reality, the early spring chill will serve to remind us that the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus really occurred far from the pleasant confines of warm churches filled with smiling people. Jesus’ entire ministry was on the margins. Within the temple perimeter, he ruthlessly engaged those who had turned the Father’s house into a marketplace. In the Synagogue, His teachings often challenged the conventional wisdom of the participants. It was out on the mountainside where people heard Him gladly. It was in the middle of a storm-tossed lake that men realized He was the Master. It was alone in the darkness of night in an olive grove that He accepted His fate with submission to His Father’s will. It was on a wind-swept hill that He offered Himself as our eternal sacrifice.The first Easter morning may have been tinged by the chill of night, as early, before the sunrise, Mary Magdalene went alone to the tomb, only to see the evidence of His resurrection. May this Sunday remind us all of the cost of His life, ministry, and sacrifice as we greet the dawn of an early Easter. May it also remind us of His triumph and eternal victory so graciously shared with us as well!
David J. Felter, NCN News and Holiness Today senior editor