It’s been a bit of a doorbell day here at the Vicarage. They are always brought on by sunshine. Kids calling for our kids, and neighbours calling with news.
Ding dong. Is the Vicar in? Or his wife?
I was asked to call the out-of-hours doctor for Glamourpuss, who was laid up in severe pain and without any credit on her phone. Later, other parishioners ring the doorbell and keep me updated – she has been called back by NHS Direct… the ambulance is on its way… there she goes off to hospital with suspected DVT.
Then, as the kids are off to bed and we’re hoping for a bit of a chilldown, the doorbell goes again. It’s Lostboy, a lad with learning difficulties, who is almost impossible to understand. He’s on his scooter and I think he’s asking where the Vicar is, but I’m not sure. I tell him where the Vicar is (upstairs, putting his children to bed) and he seems to be happy. He’s called round daily for the past few days. Hopefully he’ll find what he’s after.
We were back late last night after a wonderful week away, mainly in Scotland with the Vicar’s family, but also visiting old friends and godchildren en route. Encouragement, laughter and sunshine has refreshed us; taking the kids to their first Melrose Sevens was a particular highlight.
Coming back is a bit different: the Vicar spent 2 hours on his email inbox this morning and I’ve been spending a similar amount of time with the laundry. Oh joys.
Our week has been tinged with gratitude and sadness as we’ve been remembering Mark Ashton, and mild panic as we realised that Mark’s memorial service (actually there are two, but we’re only going once), which we hope to attend next week, coincides with a particularly busy weekend here in the parish.
So I’d better get back to the laundry and start writing the evangelistic talk I’m committed to giving that weekend or I’ll be in even more of a panic this time next week. Hope you’ve had a good Easter break.
[Edit: I have just come across this article published in this month’s Evangelicals Now, in which Mark speaks about facing terminal cancer as a Christian]
Now that Gordon Brown has finally called the General Election, I thought I should share this with you. Grumpy Grandpa sent me a pic of a third candidate whom he thinks will be standing in our local constituency at the General Election. The decision about who to vote for is getting even more difficult.
A couple of weeks ago the pink form arrived from the Church Commissioners. This is the form that heralds the arrival of the new tax year, which begins today. I loathe doing the tax – we both have to fill in the forms and I am not a Belbin completer-finisher so I often start it in time and am then frantic at the last deadline as I’ve not quite got it ready.
A dear friend called us this morning with the news that Mark Ashton had died. Mark, the Vicar of St Andrew the Great (StAG) in Cambridge, was my vicar for more than eight years and married me to my husband. His ministry was hugely influential in my life as it was in the lives of countless others. When I looked around the room at the recent clergy wives’ conference I attended, I saw many who I knew had benefitted from Mark’s clear preaching and humble, energetic leadership.
It was so like Mark to die at a time when his congregation would have their minds turned to the resurrection of the dead. To point people to the Lord Jesus and the hope that is found in him. I’ve been thanking God for Mark’s life and praying for Fiona and the children, the congregation of StAG and the many others who loved Mark, knowing that our God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort (2 Cor 1v3).
I remember very clearly being interviewed by Mark in connection with my leadership of the youth group at the church. I was only 21 at the time, and even more strong-minded than I am now, so you will have to understand that Mark’s word to me went straight to the heart of the matter: ‘You’re proud’ he told me. He was the first person to tell me what I so needed to hear.
A few years later, at my wedding, Mark referred to that interview again. He advised the Vicar that he’d have to be strong to handle me. And he (correctly) told the congregation that at that interview ‘she spent two hours telling me how to run the church’. He knew me well and helped me to know myself and the Lord.
Recently I came across this YouTube clip of Mark talking about his final illness and explaining the gospel, clearly (and loudly) as ever – it makes me smile and helps me to remember why I’m grateful for his ministry:
Just remembered: here’s a page with the verses for the Resurrectioneggs, so you don’t have to retype. Just print out and cut them up. We Vicar’s wives need all the time-saving help we can get.
My Resurrection Egg outers arrived from Baker Ross yesterday. So whilst the Vicar took the kids swimming, I assembled the egg box with bible verses and visual aids. I also managed to fit three mini-eggs into each egg which I thought might encourage the kids as they go through the box. Not in the last one, though, as it’s meant to be empty, like the tomb. I plan to have other treats on hand to celebrate the last Resurrection Egg when we get that far.
So here’s a couple of rather poor photos, taken on my phone cos I couldn’t locate my camera, so you can see what they look like. In the end, we didn’t open the first one after swimming, because the Queen stayed so long gassing in the ladies’ changing room (and the Vicar couldn’t go and fetch her, obviously) that they were very late home. She had to run straight out to the Kids’ Club Easter Party as soon as she’d eaten her tea, so the Resurrection Eggs will be a holiday activity – term finishes today – hooray!
I numbered the eggs using sticky foam pieces and a marker pen
A close up of the egg ‘fillings’
The fillings were quite straightforward – it took me about an hour to assemble the whole kit. Here’s what I actually did in the end:
Day 1: Cottonwool ball soaked in perfume (not sure how authentic Elizabeth Arden Green Tea is as a fragrance) Day 2: 5p pieces for the silver – thankfully I had some in my purse. Day 3: Matthew 21:1-11. Donkey or palm leaf – Playmobil pot plant pieces. Day 4: Matthew 26:26-29. Cup or bread – a Playmobil wine glass and a piece of bread. Day 5: Luke 22:39-46, 54a. Praying hands or pipecleaner man – I stuck together some pink foam which I cut into the shape of praying hands. A little lurid in colour. Day 6: John 19:1-7. Purple cloth. Well the cloth is maroon, but it was the best I could find. Day 7: John 19:16-17. Cross. I made this by snipping off the bottom of one of the kids’ palm crosses and sticking it together. Shhhh – don’t tell them. Day 8: John 19:18. Nails. Sourced from the Vicar’s tool cupboard. Day 9: John 19:33-35. Toothpick (for the spear). Actually I used half a cocktail stick (no toothpicks in the Vicarage), covered in silver foil. Day 10: Matthew 27: 57-60. Rock. Some gravel from the drive. Washed. Day 11: Mark 16:1-3. Cinnamon/cloves/spices. Had plenty of these in the cupboard. Day 12: John 20:1-8. And nothing in the egg! This was easy.
I’m looking forward so much to starting this tonight.
I get the Seeds Family Worship newsletter and they linked me to this month’s free download. It’s from my favourite Seeds cd, Seeds of Courage. Go listen and then badger your local Christian music shop to start stocking the cds. In the meantime, Tim V-B (see his comment at the bottom of the page) has a box of the cds available.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39
We were back late last night after a wonderful week away, mainly in Scotland with the Vicar’s family, but also visiting old friends and godchildren en route. Encouragement, laughter and sunshine has refreshed us; taking the kids to their first 
I get the Seeds Family Worship newsletter and they linked me to 
The Vicar's Wife 