South West Norfolk Pastoral Charge

     Come to  Coffee & Conversation:)  

Join Pastor:   Rev. Ted Smith   WEDNESDAY'S at 10:00am , bring your coffee for great conversations on ZOOM

Click on the ZOOM MEETING Link Above

ANNOUNCEMENTS

A WELCOME INVITATION TO ALL WOMEN OF THE CHURCH to U.C.W. Meetings

Meeting Dates for 2026:   Meeting the 1st Wednesday at 1:00pm at Courtland United Church 

MAY 6, 2026

June 3, 2026      Lorraine's Cottage / Potluck Lunch

__________________________________________________________________________

                                                                                                    Our Easter Journey 

Greetings, beloved children of God. Last Sunday we witnessed and experienced Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Jerusalem, oh Jerusalem; ever since David made Jerusalem his capital and the glory of God shone on Solomon's temple, Jerusalem has been the heart and soul of Israel. When Israel had been destroyed as a nation, and Jerusalem occupied by "foreigners", the redemption and renewal of Jerusalem became synonymous with salvation. Since the day Abraham set his steps toward a "Promised Land" and Moses led a group of slaves out of Egypt, Jerusalem has represented the hopes and dreams of God's people. So how fitting, how wonderfully right it is that the road Jesus traveled, and the Lenten Road we have traveled should end at the gates of Jerusalem.  So, we travel once again in our imaginations into Jerusalem with Jesus and through Holy week, as we join the crowds who shout "Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest, blessed be the one who comes in the name of the Lord."

Last Sunday we waved our palm branches and shared in the last supper. Good Friday we will gather and re-live the passion story and yet again open our hearts to the pain and peace that we hold within our sacred, sacred story. It is a difficult journey to re-live our whole world engulfed in shadows as we remember the story of Jesus’ death. It would be easier to push the fast-forward button on this familiar story because it hurts so much. It hurts to think of the betrayal and arrest of Jesus. It hurts to imagine Jesus abandoned and suffering on the cross with only a faithful few watching him breathe his last breath. It hurts to watch God’s light overtaken by the shadows of the world. But we must find our place in this crucifixion story and feel the pain that is there: The pain of the world, of faithless decisions; of betrayal; of injustice. Jesus entered that pain out of faithfulness to God and to us, to witness to the Truth that is Justice, Wholeness and Love. My prayer will be for our faith to deepen, and our bond as church family to strengthen as we experience this difficult story together.

Fear not, Beloved. Good news awaits! Sunday we will emerge as an Easter people, witnessing the empty tomb, and resurrected Christ and an invitation to follow. We'll sing our hallelujahs with great joy and our tambourines will chime in as we celebrate our faith, and our opportunities to know and to share God's love for us, as revealed in the Easter story.... new life, new ways, eternal love and life! We are an Easter People! 

Thanks be to God! Blessings from Jerusalem!    Pastor Ted