Easter week at Solace

Easter holidays have started here in Victoria, and Solace is celebrating running our first seasons of Tuesday Stuff and Sunday Stuff at our new venue in Alphington. Easter week is fast approaching and we're anticipating a fantastic time. Details on gatherings are given below, but first a comment on the meaning of Easter.

Easter is the time for celebrating and reflecting on Christianities central event: the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Many Christians greet each other on Easter Sunday with the words 'Christ is risen', and replying 'He is risen indeed'. At Solace we are exploring together what it means to affirm 'Christ is risen'. There have been many attempts at explaining the meaning of the death and resurrection of Jesus over the course of the church's history. Many of those attempts have gone beyond the gospel accounts, some using the epistles plausibly, some using other parts of the bible with less credibility. At Solace we are encouraging each individual to reflect on the meaning of 'Christ is risen' for themselves. In our conversations about the meaning of 'Christ is risen' we come to a meaning that we as a dispersed community hold as truth.

One theme that has already emerged is our attraction to the opportunity to be transformed personally: by love, by grace and - mysteriously - by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We've considered contrasting ideas about Easter from Marcus Borg and from Keith Green. Really different men, different ways of understanding bible and yet both are excited (in their own way) about the opportunity for positive and loving transformation.

We hope that you also will reflect on what 'Christ is risen' means in the coming weeks and find your own excitement in this age-old phrase.

Easter Week at Solace
April 17 10am Palm Sunday
April 22 2pm-3pm Good Friday
April 24 10am Easter Sunday
See Solace Lent and Easter events 2011 for more details and locations.

April 2010 at Sunday Stuff

It's a new month, so here's a reminder about Sunday Stuff for the next month.

April 4 - Easter Sunday
In the Chalice hall. Singing, Jesus Meal, Resurrection story and celebration. Easter chick hunt for the young at heart and body.

No Sunday Stuff during school holidays or for Rusty Spring

• Apr 11 No Sunday Stuff
• Apr 18 No Sunday Stuff
• Apr 25 No Sunday Stuff - Rusty Spring Festival www.rustyspring.net
• May 2 Sunday Stuff

http://solace.emc.org.au/SundayStuff.htm

Give a Chicken for Easter at TEAR

TEAR is all organised for Easter, with live chickens! Here's the blurb from their own promotional emails.

Chocolate bunnies have nothing on real, live chickens as an Easter gift.

For only $5, a pair of chickens can provide a family from a poor community in Burma, Cambodia, India or Uganda with a source of eggs to eat and sell. So, they’ll be healthier and on the way to earning a small income.

When you order, you can choose a traditional printed card or an e-card to give to a friend or relative for Easter – or any occasion. You’ll also receive a tax-deductible receipt.