For a faith based upon Resurrection, it is a striking irony that it is Crucifixion that Christian artists, sculptors and poets have found easier to portray. The hymns and paintings which contribute to worship on Good Friday out number those whose subject is Easter Day.
We should not be surprised by this, however. The Cross is rooted in human experience, whilst Resurrection is always ahead of us and images of suffering are more concrete than those of joy and new beginnings.
The Church has long been aware of this challenge and one of the first ways it gave expression to the Easter hope was to worship facing east – facing that is the rising sun and the new day.
Churches of course are built on an East-West axis and on Easter morning many Christians gather for a sunrise service. Marlborough Churches Together start their Easter celebrations at 5.30am on Martinsell Hill when we greet the risen Jesus as the sun rises. Watching the sun rise is a simple but powerful symbol of the new life and possibility that Easter represents.
In the morning we then worship in our different church buildings.
The outdoor theme is continued at the end of the day when we congregate on the College Playing Fields (access off Leaze Road) at 4.00pm to fly kites. In certain parts of the world, notably the Caribbean, kites are flown as a symbol of the Resurrection and here in Marlborough we like to do the same.
The kites dancing in the sky speak of freedom and spontaneity, borne aloft by an invisible wind which powers their every movement. The fact that we fly them next to the Town Cemetery gives an additional edge to celebration!
The rising sun and the dancing kites – two symbols of the hope and possibility that Easter represents, two ways of giving expression to the God who is always ahead of us.
Do join us at any or all of these celebrations!
Andrew Studdert-Kennedy
Rector of St. Mary’s Church
