Today, March 31, around 50 to 60 members from Marlborough Churches Together, brought the Christian Easter message to shoppers in Marlborough High Street. Three key scenes from the biblical Easter story were narrated and performed, starting at the Town Hall, processing down the High Street, and ending in St Peter’s churchyard. The scenes were interspersed with singing and audience participation.
Organiser, Helen Stokes, told Marlborough.news, “We want to high-light what the Easter story is all about. We want to reclaim Easter from happy bunnies. We don’t want it hi-jacked by commercialism.”
The first scene on the Town Hall steps gave an overview of how Christians understand the life of Jesus and of Jesus’s betrayal and arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. Scene two, outside the Jubilee Centre, gave a glimpse of Peter’s denial and Jesus’s trial and conviction. The third scene in St Peter’s Churchyard dealt with the crucifixion and the resurrection. The presentation ended with the words, “We celebrate the eternal hope and amazing Grace of the Easter Story,” followed by a rousing rendition of ‘Amazing Grace’.
Having revived the tradition of an Easter procession in the High Street last year, plans are in place to make The Easter Procession a fixture in future years. As last year, the procession took place in glorious sunshine. “The weather really is a blessing, after the past few days,” commented Helen. “We’ve been praying for good weather.”
Easter Day services are as follows: 6am Sunrise service, Martinsell Hill; 8am Holy Communion St Mary’s, Marlborough; 9am Holy Communion St John the Baptist, Minal; 10.30am Family communion St Mary’s, Marlborough; 10.30am Family Communion St George’s, Preshute; 11am Easter Sunday Mass, St.Thomas More Catholic Church, Marlborough; 4pm Emmanuel Easter Sunday service, with crèche and Sunday School – refreshments and BYO (bring your own) children’s tea in the Carmichael Hall following the service; 5pm Informal worship with Chocolate Easter Story, St Mary’s, Marlborough.