This morning I received an email from one of the surviving Christian book retailers.  Whilst the subject line was unhelpful, confusing, I think, an ongoing attack on 'the church as institution' with one on Christianity per se, the body of the message was encouraging.  This retailer is offering you the chance to purchase, through them, Pullman's new novel... along with a Christian 'response' by David Wenham; well done Eden Books.  The book cover title is "Did St Paul get Jesus Right" but if you search for it on Amazon it is listed as "Paul the Scoundrel?  The Apostle and the Divinity of Christ." So, I have now pre-ordered this one.  The overall cost for the two books comes out roughly the same through Amazon or Eden (each discounting one of the two), so maybe it depends who who wish to give your custom to.

In Eden's email is a helpful and encouraging comment from Christian author G P Taylor:

"...what we must do is not fall into the trap of book burning & blockading movie theatres. As Christians it is our duty to be people of integrity and interact boldly with that which could affront our faith."

Ironically, I think the scoundrel St Paul would agree!

So, I pre-ordered, received and read the latest Pullman novel.  It has now begun a journey of being lent to church folk who are interested.

I'm not posting my thoughts on the novel, save to say it is a very, very easy read with equally few surprises.

That said, if it gets people reading, thinking, talking and engaging then the 'scoundrel' has done good!

It has been a very busy, and a very good, week.  The feedback has been very positive and encouraging and I am very grateful to the various folk who organised, brewed, buttered, read, acted, prayed, played and attended the activities we shared for Holy Week.

We began on Palm Sunday with a re-enactment of events from Palm Sunday to Gethsemane:

(photos courtesy & copyright Ian Sinclair)

We moved on into Holy Week with daily pauses On the Road to Calvary where we met characters in the story, meditated, prayed and shared a light lunch.  Big thanks to A (who is now cringing) for organising this.  On the evening of Maundy Thursday we had a very effective Tennebrae communion, meeting around a long table.  Good Friday was a multi-sensory encounter - a labyrinth style prayer walk with twleve 'stations', some images of Easter and the opportunity to watch part of the film Jesus of Nazareth... plus of course tea and hot crossed buns.  After a properly empty Holy/Easter Saturday we packed out the 'snug' at church for bacon (or veggie sausage) rolls and an informal communion on Easter morning.  At 11 a.m. people arrived to a church full of colour and music for our celebration of Easter (no photos yet)... our giant cross dressed in white, oceans of golden daffodils, recorded birdsong, a trumpeter and a cellist as well as the piano, the choir, lots of wonderful home baking... as we sang old hymns and new songs, as we hunted for eggs, discovered Millie Mole's secret message and sought to enter the wonder and mystery it felt good.  The day closed with our worship leader taking us for a walk around our patch, pondering how we see Jesus in those whose life intersect with ours, how we can be Jesus to those we meet.

Jesus Christ is dancing, dancing in our streets...

In the tourists and visitors enjoying the Botanics on a sunny Sunday afternoon

Jesus Christ is serving, serving in our streets...

In the retail outlets, pubs and clubs, where we stand impatient to be served on a Monday

Jesus Christ is hurting, hurting in our streets...

In the hospital where wounds are dressed, hope born and fear realised at midnight, at noontide

Jesus Christ is learning, teaching in our streets...

In the university where knowledge and understanding vie for attention in the mind of teacher and learner

Jesus Christ is with us, with us in our street...

Crucified, dead, risen, ascended... alive and active

In us, with us, through us

This bowl of coloured plastic eggs formed a visual centrepiece at the start of Easter worship last year.

The olive wood holding cross was purchased at Coventry Cathedral on a lunch club day trip, and remains a precious reminder both of the mystery of reconciliation that is Coventry cathedral and of the folk who shared that outing.

Each person present at Easter worship last year received an egg (we were a very small congregation) containing one word from the message of Easter - why are you looking for the living among the dead?  He is not here, go and tell...

Risen Christ, you have shown us that death and sin have no power over the God who is love, and by your love for us set us free.  Send us to tell others what we have seen and heard...

This photograph is the Baptist Cemetery in 'Dibley'.

On Easter Saturday 2009 a small group of us gathered there to scatter the ashes of one of our folk who had died at a relatively young age.

It was a cold day, as I recall it, and there was an almost eery silence as we gathered, briefly apart from a bustling world preoccupied with chocolate, wine and holiday fever, to hear words of hope and let go of one we loved.

How was it that first Easter Saturday, when Jesus' family grieved alone, while all around them people went to Temple or synagogue, celebrated the feast or simply went about their lives?

Jesus Christ, lying cold in the tomb, unable to touch and heal those who wept for you, be present in our darkness.