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Five gatherings this Easter - must be some sort of record! All were very different, but all powerful in their own way. This year we tried to incorporate a bit more visual art in our worship through a series of oil paintings.

Two years ago, for a reason I now forget, I was thinking about what the skies at Easter must have looked like. I then wondered if this could be depicted in a series of paintings and subsequently commissioned Aleisha Eadon to paint them for me. This Easter the five paintings were finally revealed. And let me say they are stunning!

Here’s a run down of our reflections and where the paintings played their part:

Thursday Night we gathered around the first of the paintings - a bright blue sky full of fun and hope. Afterall, the passover feast was about to begin. Yet there is a hint of cloud encroaching on the sky, and below we see a withered fig tree on the edge of a rise that we can’t quite see over. What lies ahead for Jesus and his disciples?

From the painintg, we moved to the communion table and shred the symbollic meal together, before mvoing out to Golgotha. Here we watched the last 30 minutes of the DVD “The Cross” - a real time depiction of the last part of Jesus life on the cross. We watched him struggle for breath. We watched him writh in pain. We heard him utter his last words. We saw him die.

Friday Morning we saw a painting depicting a violent and stormy sky. We had a series of readings, sang of the sacrifice of Jesus and relfected on what it meant for God to love the world so much. I shared how I could express my love through obedience, I could even express my love by giving my life, but there is no way I would give my son for anyone or anything. What sort of amazing love is this? John 3:16 was out text and I think we are still just as confused by it as Nicodemus was all those years ago.

Saturday. We had no gathering on Saturday, but the painting depicted a sky of drab nothingness. Hope is yet to be realised, and there is a numbess left from the events of Friday.

Sunday Dawn saw us gather outside at Haliday park for some readings, prayer and to watch the sun come up on the day we celebrate new life. There’s something about that time of morning that helps put everything in it’s right perspective. Thinking about new life in the silence makes me appreicate the profoundness of the Easter experience.

Sunday Morning was our celebration of new life. The three congregations that meet in “the Factory” came together for worship and testimony and to hear Aleisha speak about her painintgs. The Sunday paintings both depicted a sunrise. The first was a brilliant morning with lots of colour. The second was another brilliant morning, but this time indicating that there were clouds still present. But as the sunlight touches the fields, life is born and grown and greenery springs to life.

Tara sang a wonderful solo, another girl shared her story of coming to faith, Pastor Pete shared about the new life Jesus offers. A great time of celebration.

Sunday night. We travelled out to the Basin and gathered around the camp fire to hear the story of Jesus gathering around the fire with his disciples after his resurrection. This was a special time and we were fortunate to be able to again spend the time outside in God’s wonderful creation.

I’m hoping to get some digital images taken of the painitngs and will post them here when i do. But even now I know that a photo will never portray the extent of how great these paintings are in real life. And no image will ever reproduce the things we each experienced in our private and gathered reflections this Easter season.

My thanks again to everyone who led us over the time.