Writing from the Rectory – April 2026

After a long wet winter it’s easy to see why sun worship has been popular in some cultures. Spring offers us the chance of hope in a fresh start and the wonder of new birth.

In ancient Egypt many gods were worshipped, including the Egyptian god of creation called Khnum (known otherwise as “the divine potter”), who was believed to create humanity from the clay of the Nile. In the book of Exodus, some of these gods can be linked directly to the famous plagues sent upon a hard-hearted Pharoah, who refused to release the Hebrews from slavery. These plagues pointed people to the identity of the one true God.

The night before their famous departure from Egypt, God intervened and told his chosen people to daub their doorframes with lamb’s blood as a sign to the angel of death to pass over them and not kill their firstborn. This redemptive act is still celebrated by Jews as the festival known as Passover; it is also the origin of the Last Supper celebrated on Maundy Thursday, when Jesus mandated his followers to love one another, and people of all faiths, as he had loved them.

But if the plagues were highly symbolic of God’s power surely the choice of a lamb was also significant? Apart from being a peace offering, a lamb is the offspring of a ram. So, the child of the pagan god of creation, Knumh, is being ceremonially killed by the slaves as a sign of the power and authority of the one true creator God.

At Easter we celebrate our freedom at Passover from the slavery of sin and hardheartedness. This new life became possible because the offspring of the real creator God was killed centuries after the Passover miracle, in the form of Jesus’ death on the cross. However, Jesus, the lamb of God, rises from the tomb and is seen alive and well by many thousands of people.

Recently some famous atheists are seeing their friends come to faith. Why not watch an episode from the YouTube channel ‘TheDiaryOfACEO’ (hosted by Stephen Bartlett from Dragons Den) entitled ‘The proof that Christianity is true’?

Join our Easter Egg trail 3-4pm St Gregory’s Church Saturday 4^th April. £2 per child- booking essential at ticketsource.

Happy Easter! He is risen indeed, Alleluia!

Blessings

Reverend Andrew Doarks.