St.Helens R.F.C.'s Chaplain & Welfare Manager Paul Johnson, known affectionately at the Club as 'Chappers', has written an Easter message for all Saints supporters.
Do you watch The Apprentice? It forms part of the weekly routine for my wife and I as we settle down to watch, often cringing throughout, each Thursday when we don’t have a fixture. I don’t know where the producers find such an eclectic group of people – so full of self-confidence and yet so lacking in self-awareness at times!
We watched in shock, a few weeks ago, as one of the teams was trying to create an advertising campaign around Easter. Their comment was, “Christmas is all about Santa Claus, but what has Easter got? It needs a Santa figure to make it something that people want to celebrate!”
This shows a complete misunderstanding of the importance and significance of Easter. I love Christmas! I love that festive feeling. I love the tree, the decorations, the turkey dinner and the time with family and friends. I used to love the Boxing Day game against Wigan! None of this is to put Christmas down. The thing is that, the reason that Christmas happened was so that Easter could happen!
I remember writing an article a few years ago, which asked, “What’s so Good about Good Friday?” For many of us, when we wake up on Good Friday, our minds are immediately on the Wigan game and aiming for a great result there. Nothing wrong with that! I’ll certainly be feeling that way when I wake up on Good Friday morning. However, Good Friday is ‘Good’ because, contrary to the old Metallica song line, it isn’t the story of ‘The God who failed!’. As a Christian, I believe that Jesus didn’t ‘fail’ on Good Friday. The whole point of His birth was so that He could face Good Friday and the Cross. No team wins a match without the sacrifice of the players – everyone giving their all, so that the whole can be successful. We will certainly see that in action at the Brick Community Stadium this weekend.
Christians believe that Jesus’ death was a sacrificial death. The Easter Story tells us that He gave everything that He could give, so that we had the opportunity to gain everything that we could never earn. You see, the Bible says that we all mess up and that mess stops us from having the possibility of a relationship with God. Jesus, as God’s Son, dying on the Cross takes the punishment that I deserve, so that I can have a relationship with God for myself. That is some sacrifice!
The build up to Easter, with the fasting and contemplation of Lent, and the sorrow of Good Friday, could leave us feeling pretty depressed! If the story had ended on Good Friday, it could easily look like a failure – but it doesn’t! Easter Sunday is the time when we remember that Jesus rose from the dead. He was seen alive by over five hundred people in the following weeks. He never died again – He is still alive in Heaven and that victory, over death itself, is the reason that we don’t need some Father Easter to find a reason to celebrate. It’s the biggest win in history! That really is some comeback!
As we move into this Easter period, join me in enjoying the game on Good Friday – it’s going to be a brilliant afternoon. I encourage you to think about what you are willing to sacrifice to help other people to be successful and happy. How far are you prepared to go out of your way, to help other people feel welcome and loved, encouraged and uplifted? Remember that, as a Christian I believe that you matter enough for God to let His only Son die in your place – that really is some level of value. Finally, remember that nothing, not even death, can get in the way of you being loved and accepted. Oh, and let’s get a great result against Wigan!
Happy Easter!
