I'm having a lovely Easter - it's not over yet - and a really happy first day back at work.

The rain held off for the open air service in the Botanic Gardens which was attended by lots of people from at least six different congregations - and at least three dogs as well!

Then it was all hands on deck to set up for our own service at 11 a.m., with just enough time for a tasty apple hot cross bun (yummy!) and a cuppa along the way.

The church was packed, with visitors as well as regulars and really happy atmosphere as we shared in an act of all age worship with three creative zones and a central reflective zone, a child-friendly communion and some thoughts on the importance of retelling the the stories that carry the memory of the life of Jesus.

Mr Bump, you ask, what is that all about?  I had taken in a selection of objects that related to Easters past, including a Mr Bump mug that had been given to me in the 1970s complete, back then, with a small Easter egg.  When I asked the children why they thought I'd brought in Mr Bump the answers were amazing... Mr Men being almost egg shaped, Mr Bump being wounded as a reminder that Jesus was wounded (wow... still processing that one, so incredibly profound), Mr Men are smiling and make us happy, Mr Bump (on my mug anyway) has a ladder, which maybe was to climb up to the cross... I LOVE the imagination and intuitive spirituality of children!

It was one of those services where the technology packs up - first the laptop powered down with a flat battery (the power lead having coming loose unobserved) then a microphone battery packed up, then the microphone itself packed up, and then a microphone swap was needed... and none of it mattered, not one jot.

It felt good to be back at 'work'.  I had a blast.  Hopefully other people enjoyed themselves too.  I enjoyed my now traditional post Easter service lunch out and still have an evening service when someone else will guide my thoughts.

Whether we remember any details of the service in a week's time doesn't matter - what we did does: we retold the story, we kept the memory alive and we sought meaning for our continuing lives...

Resurrection joy, new or renewed hope: love is come again like wheat that springeth green.