CELBRATING EASTER Easter Sunday falls this year on 4th April - the most important day in the Christian year. It is when the Church rejoices at the resurrection of Jesus Christ the Son of God after His crucifixion three days earlier. After death comes rebirth, with all the overtones in that glorious idea. This year however it is particularly special. We were unable to celebrate it last year; churches were closed because of the Covid virus. This year they will be open again and we can mark it properly, although there must be certain differences from what we were once used to. At the time of writing I do not know what these will be and what services will take place because the situation remains fluid. For information please see the church noticeboards and look at the website; both of these will provide more information than I can at present. Easter speaks of rebirth, and if ever there was a theme for April 2021 this is it. There is the rebirth of the natural world after the seeming death of winter. I have been very frustrated for the past few months at being unable to work in our garden. However in the last month I have seen the emergence of the spring flowers - snowdrops, aconites and above all daffodils. Soon there will be primroses, tulips, lilac and finally roses that I love so much. I will also be able to sit on the swing seat at the bottom of the garden and feel the sun again. Nature is reborn after the darkness of winter, the days are lengthening and the temperatures are rising. Small wonder that for many spring is the best time of the year. But we are also hopefully seeing the lifting of ever more restrictions after the lockdown caused by Covid. Perhaps that is why this winter has been so difficult. Weatherwise it has not been the hardest. We older ones might remember the appallingly cold winter of 1947, rather more of us the very hard one of 1962/3 - and there was also the Winter of Discontent in the late 1970’s. But it has been the suffocation of the past three months that has been so hard to bear. The enforced closure of all but essential shops, of pubs restaurants, hairdressers, gyms and other places we might normally frequent. Not being able to visit children and grandchildren. Now hopefully things are going to improve and we can look forward with hope. Rebirth after a very dark winter. So Easter 2021 speaks of resurrection and rebirth in far more than a Christian sense. As we see the nation coming alive again after the darkness of the past we are reminded that after death there is new life - and that is the heart of our Christian faith. This year it means more than it has done for a very long time; the message could not be more relevant. With warmest good wishes, Paul