Dear Friends,          

I am sure like me it was a joy to hear the news that Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and  Anoosheh Ashoori had been released from Iran after several years of captivity. It was wonderful to see photos of  Nazanin holding her daughter and being reunited with her husband Richard who had fought tirelessly since her capture for her release. Sadly this was a brief moment of light on the world stage on what has been a very difficult and painful month as we have witnessed the invasion of Ukraine. Who would have thought that on mainland Europe in the 21st century such horrors would be on our doorstep?

Many years ago I went to hear Terry Waite speak about his 1,763 days held in captivity by Hezbollah.  There were some lighter moments in his talk such as when he asked for English books to read, he was  finally handed one by a kind guard with the title ‘A Mother’s Guide to Breast-feeding’ – not exactly what he had in mind but it was a start.  He talked about what had supported him in those dark days and one was the thought that people were remembering him in their daily prayers.  He also would save a morsel of bread and some water and have a holy communion service in his cell – he could remember the entire service and that gave him comfort as it brought home the presence of Jesus in his midst and the wider church family.  One very surprising comment was that when he was  finally given a copy of the Bible, he expected its words to offer him great comfort but it also reminded him of ‘man’s inhumanity to man’. The Bible is a very real and honest book that brings home the pain and sadness of how we have turned our backs on God and gone our own way.

Thankfully it also tells the story of God’s redeeming love in action throughout history calling us home to be part of his family. The extent of God’s love is seen primarily in the life and ministry of Jesus and the events of Holy Week. On Good Friday we stand at the foot of the cross and pause in deep sadness as Jesus is crucified and all hope is lost for those early disciples.  The wonderful news of course is that  Jesus dying on the cross is not the end of the story, rather three days later Jesus is resurrected and offers new life to those who put their trust in him. There’s no limit the God’s love for us – we just need to accept that he loves us and to share in our lives – the miracle of Easter.

As we journey into the events of Holy Week, let us continue to pray for those affected by the war in Ukraine and look at ways we can help those caught up in this terrible tragedy. May they know we are there for them in solidarity and that hope, love and joy of the resurrected Christ will in time replace the darkness and pain of their Good Friday experience.  

Rev Glenn Coggins, Vicar of  the United Benefice of Stanley, Outwood and Wrenthorpe and Alverthorpe.