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SALTASH AREA CHURCHES

A holy place in Saltash, a holy place for Saltash, and a place
to encounter the holiness of God in Jesus Christ our Lord

Monday 30 March

Monday 30 March

Thoughts at the start of Passiontide

Not only is it hard to keep track of which day it is, without communal worship on a Sunday it can be difficult to keep track of where we are in the church calendar. So Sunday 29 March was Passion Sunday and this Sunday I listened to the beautiful service on YouTube, I am fortunate to live with someone who can access these things.

I am struggling with Passiontide this year as it is a time when we should be reflecting on our sins and the cost to God and Jesus, but the message of the health professionals is to keep positive and look for the good each day. This remindsme of the struggle Jacob had with an unknown figure and it lasted all night. My struggle is likely to last all week until the focus shifts to Palm Sunday and Holy week.

My struggle, in a small way, reflects what the world is like at the moment. It is aware of an enemy, a virus that is killing many people, yet at the same time we are hearing of volunteers and people helping each other, and, just occasionally, of people coming through a serious form of Covid-19.

In our isolation we are suffering, yet those venturing out of their homes to hospitals, to food stores, to factories producing food and other essential supplies, to those who are enabling them to get to work on trains and buses, those collecting rubbish and many more are putting themselves in danger daily on our behalf and we applaud all that they do.

The prayer of the day on Sunday perhaps sums up our struggle, it speaks of our need for deliverance from sin as well as the victory of Jesus, through the trauma we hold on to the belief good and God will triumph.

Most merciful God,
who by the death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ
delivered and saved the world:
grant that by faith in him who suffered on the cross
we may triumph in the power of his victory
through Jesus Christ your Son, our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen

Lesley