What the '˜good' in Good Friday means

It’s a good question and one that we’ll be exploring together through lots of fun activities and games at Messy Church tomorrow.

The fun begins at 10am at St Barnabas Church and the Paterson Centre in Swanmore.

It’s for children and adults – there’s no lower or upper age limit.

There will be lots of creative activities including making a sunrise card, weaving God’s eye on a wooden lolly stick cross and making a stained glass cross out of tissue paper and acetate; as well as making an Easter crown with Easter symbols on it and an Easter basket of chocolate mini eggs.

And we’ll be playing a cross throwing game which involves throwing eggs into purple cups.

All of these activities and games will help us to think together about the meaning of Good Friday and Easter.

At the heart of the Easter story is love – God’s love. More than 2,000 years ago when Jesus walked the earth the world was in a bit of a mess, like it is in many ways now.

But God loves us so much that he couldn’t just leave us drowning in all of the messiness of life.

And so he sent Jesus who lived amongst us in the world and who showed us through his thoughts, words and actions how to live and love better.

On Good Friday he died a really painful death on a cross to bring us peace with God and one another, but his death wasn’t the end of the story.

Three days later, on Easter Sunday, he rose again from the dead and he is still alive today – isn’t that amazing?

So at Messy Church we shall be sad that Jesus had to die, but celebrating that death did not have the final say, for he is alive!

Do come and join us and invite your friends too.

It’s all free. At the end we’ll be sharing hot cross buns and hot and cold drinks together.

St Barnabas Church, Church Road, Swanmore SO32 2PA

Contact the vicar Claire Towns on 01489 808968 or email [email protected]

Website: stbarnabas.org.uk/

Facebook: facebook.com/swanmorestbarnabas