A few weeks ago someone knocked on our front door late at night.
When I answered the door there stood a member of our congregation who had locked themselves out of their house. They were just going out for a few short minutes and had picked up the wrong key – the front door shut behind them and they were locked out. Spare key, car keys, mobile phone, wallet, etc., were all inside the house.
After spending the night at our house the person who had been locked out and I went back to the house ‘armed and equipped’ to break in! However, none of the equipment we had taken was up to the task and we had to call in expert locksmiths. The locksmith came out very quickly and took about three minutes to break in – their specialist equipment opened the door very efficiently.
It occurs to me that this episode has similarities to the reason God sent his Son Jesus Christ to earth – to live, to die and to rise again for the whole world. We make mistakes – some of them small ones like picking up the wrong key; others much larger and find ourselves “locked out” from God’s plan for us. Using our own devices and skills we can’t break back in.
Rather, we need to call the expert – in this case the ‘expert’ is Jesus Christ whose death and resurrection we commemorate at Easter. His death and resurrection open the door and we are able to walk back in to God’s plan for us and his everlasting Kingdom. There are many reasons why the stone was rolled away from Jesus’ tomb. Perhaps one of these is to show all of us that we are able to walk out from whatever it is which entombs us and into God’s Kingdom. None of us need to be locked out – ALL are welcome through the door of the Kingdom of God and into God’s family.
Join us at Easter
You would all be very welcome to join us at St. Peter’s this Easter as we both commemorate the death of Jesus and celebrate Jesus’ Resurrection and the door to God’s Kingdom being opened for the whole world. On Good Friday our service for all ages is at 11.00am followed by a contemplative Hour at the Cross at 2.00pm. On Easter Sunday we have our traditional service of Holy Communion at 9.00am followed by our contemporary All Age Communion Service at 11.00am. You are ALL welcome to join us at any of these services. (PLEASE note that the clocks go forward on Easter Sunday morning!)
With my prayers and best wishes for a Happy Easter full of hope and praise and open doors.
Jon Randall (Vicar) 01733 240339; vicar@saintpeters.co.uk
Read this article in the Yaxley Gazette.