Church of the Living Stream minister Revd Claire Simpson

CommunityAd featured an Easter update from Church of the Living Stream’s minister Revd Claire Simpson.

Dear friends,

As I sit to write this, a news headline on the BBC website has just come to my attention and the headline reads like this: ‘New life springs from rescued Sycamore Gap tree’.

You might remember that the tree, nestled in a gap in Hadrian’s Wall, was felled in a senseless and deliberate act of violence last September. Since then, young seeds and twigs that were salvaged at the site have been planted and nurtured by the National Trust and they are showing promising shoots of new life as spring begins.

Every so often the Easter weekend coincides with the move to British Summer Time. Did you remember to move your clocks forward by one hour overnight into Easter Sunday? I recall being taught ‘Spring forward; fall back’ from quite a young age and so on the appointed Saturday in October and March my dad would go around the house before he went to bed and change all the clocks and watches so that we woke up to the right time the following morning – all way before the advent of mobile phones and digital stuff that does it automatically for you! So, this year, Easter has synchronised with that hopeful spring feeling of summer being on the way. More daylight in the evening is very welcome. There is a sense that nature is waking up again after a long, wet, windy winter and new life is beginning to emerge. The Sycamore Gap seeds are a poignant and vivid illustration of this.

At its heart, Easter is all about celebrating new life. After Jesus’ violent end, Christians believe that new life springs forth in the resurrection when Jesus rose from the dead. In the life of the church the Easter season last for 7 weeks, right through to Pentecost on 19^th May. So, there is plenty of time and opportunity to see and recognise ‘new life’ in our own experience. This might be through enjoying nature; it might be in our relationships with others; it might be in the seizing of an opportunity that presents itself; it might be in trying something new either professionally, privately or socially. The message of Easter is that when Jesus rose from the dead, everything changed. Not just for those who were there to experience it that first Easter but for us too. The abundant and fullest life that Jesus had spoken about during his lifetime came to a mighty crescendo in the risen Jesus and he offers that wonderful life to each of us to explore and enjoy.

Love Claire,

Revd Claire Simpson

Church of the Living Stream (CLS)

CLS was born of the strictures of the pandemic when we were not allowed to meet normally. We offer two online events each week: a conventional service on Sundays and a more relaxed fellowship on Wednesdays: all at 10:30am and accessible on Zoom. Details are on our website at www.churchlivingstream.co.uk. Our services are not streamed from a church but are interactive and conversational. We particularly welcome anyone who is unable (or unwilling!) to attend a conventional church service, for whatever reason. We get people joining from many different parts of this country and overseas. Claire has also recorded some splendid talks which are on YouTube and also accessible via the website.

Claire has pastoral responsibility for all the Methodist churches in Basingstoke (including Old Basing and Oakley).

The concept of CLS has proved so successful that we are in process of selling our building in Kempshott Lane.