SKEGNESS METHODISTS
RECENT EVENTS
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Group Photo and Annual Meeting followed by lunch
Brenda's Casserole Party
Chaplain takes to sea with Skegness Lifeboat Crew
Christian Carnival in The Park
Summer Garden Party
Christmas Tree Festival
Valentines Dinner & Social
Quiz Night
EASTER MORNING
SUNRISE SERVICE 2004
Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been taken away from the entrance. Mary stood crying outside the tomb. While she was still crying, she bent over and looked in the tomb and saw two angels there dressed in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head and the other at the feet. "Woman, why are you crying?" they asked her. She answered, "They have taken my Lord away, and I do not know where they have put him!" Then she turned round and saw Jesus standing there; but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned towards him and said in Hebrew, "Rabboni!" (This means "Teacher".) (Good News Bible)
"Mary stood crying outside the tomb". Those words formed the theme for the Sunrise Service as worshippers gathered on the beach at Skegness for the first Communion service on Easter Day. The Rev Ian Banks rallied worshippers together at 6 a.m. to witness what was to be one of the most beautiful Easter sunrises for a long time, certainly in stark contrast to last year when it was a very cold windy morning.
Ian reminded the congregation of nearly 40 people from around the Skegness area and visitors from other parts of the country, that they were gathered for the first service of Easter Day to celebrate the season that gives meaning to all seasons, for without Easter there would be no gospel, no message, no church, no faith. Was it any wonder that we were all anxious to gather at such an early hour to celebrate! What better way to do that than to be together at dawn to meet the risen Christ afresh and open our lives to his renewing power as we try to understand those whose lives were transformed by that first Easter experience, those who met the risen Christ.
There was heightened sense of God's presence as the whole congregation was caught in the tremendous radiance of the rising sun. It simply took our breath away! We sang the hymn "Christ the Lord is risen today" with a whole new sense of purpose and with great joy in our hearts as we all reflected the glow of the sunrise and the power of God's Holy Spirit. Then as we heard the story from John's gospel of Mary visiting the tomb on that first Easter morning we began to feel very much a part of the whole event and as we thought of Mary standing before Jesus it gave real meaning to the words of our next hymn, "I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene".
Before we left the beach we shared a simple act of Communion before closing with the hymn "Thine be the glory, risen conquering Son". A truly memorable experience!
