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42 Phonebox Magazine | April 2025Newport PagnellHope RisingOn one hand, it%u2019s a privilege to be given the opportunity to share some Easter thoughts with you. On the other, I%u2019ve wrestled with how to bring something new to a message that has remained the same for 2,000 years. Whilst the date that Easter falls changes each year, dictated by the lunar calendar, the death and resurrection of Jesus %u2013 a real man, who walked the same earth as you and I %u2013 might be considered old news, hardly relevant to today%u2019s world. At best, a nice story.And then I look at the world we live in.Whether experienced personally, or as we watch on, we are witnesses to a cost-of-living crisis that has caused widescale hardship for many in the UK. We struggle with the state of the health service, our roads, immigration, and that%u2019s just scratching the surface. Global inequality, climate change, and the recent pandemic all add to our levels of anxiety, and that%u2019s before we even mention confl ict and the rising tensions in international politics.The world seems in turmoil. The future seems so uncertain, perhaps even hopeless.It%u2019s then I%u2019m reminded that as the world changes around us, and as we face into all the uncertainty that brings, the hope of resurrection is needed just as much today as it was 2,000 years ago.It%u2019s not an easy thing to get our heads around. People don%u2019t just die and are then raised from the dead. But that%u2019s the point. The resurrection is not a normal, everyday occurrence. Instead, it happened to demonstrate God%u2019s long-term recovery plan for the world and, through a living Jesus, to breathe life into everything in our broken world in the meantime.Sometimes, churches and even pastors like me, can be guilty of presenting God as a trusted and valuable assistant. Someone to bring a bit of comfort when things are tough, or to call out to when things are not going the way we%u2019d planned.The events of Easter remind us of so much more, most importantly that God is in the business of resurrection - taking things that seem hopeless and breathing new life and new hope into them. Not because of anything we do, but simply because we%u2019re willing to let Jesus work in our lives.That is not new news, but it is good news, and perhaps the world needs to know it now more than ever. If you want to know more, come and share in the Lent Lunches, every Friday at the Mead Centre throughout the period of Lent, or come along to one of the many Easter services taking place across Newport Pagnell this Easter. More details at www.ctnp.org.ukSteve Wood, Pastor, Newport Pagnell Baptist ChurchOlneyA Fresh PerspectiveI%u2019ve just moved house, and things are as chaotic as you might imagine: too much remains unpacked, and boxes are everywhere. I reach for familiar items, but can%u2019t fi nd them: they%u2019re no longer on the usual shelves or in the usual cupboards, but need to be dug out of boxes, or (worse) it turns out they%u2019ve gone into storage by mistake. That said, I can%u2019t pretend everything in my house was beautifully ordered and sorted before moving, and in some respects this has been a good opportunity to take stock of what I have, and sort out things that I should have sorted out previously. And part of this has been working out what to take and what not to take with me: are there things that I don%u2019t need anymore, or that won%u2019t be practical where I%u2019m going?Many churches, including my own, are currently marking the season of Lent, a period of several weeks leading up to Easter. Lent is traditionally seen as a time of preparation and self-examination, as we make ready to celebrate Jesus%u2019 resurrection from the dead on Easter Sunday. Rather, as I%u2019ve been describing above, it is a time when we%u2019re invited to take stock of things: a time when we can examine our lives and our hearts, noting what we may feel sorry for but also what we may feel thankful for. Sometimes it can be helpful to get a fresh perspective by changing our daily routines, and so people often give things up for Lent, such as chocolate, or take up new things, such as spending a bit more time each day in prayer.This isn%u2019t meant to be an ordeal, something that we put ourselves through in order to earn the joy of the Easter celebrations. Anything we do in Lent, we do in the assurance that God already loves us beyond our imagining, and we can%u2019t do anything to make him love us more. But we are always being invited to walk more closely with God, to know our hearts just as he knows them, and to renew ourselves in the love that he has for each one of us. Love and renewal are the keynotes. As we approach Easter and retell the story of Jesus and his journey to the Cross, above all we retell a story of love, the story of God%u2019s love reaching out to heal a broken world; and when we come to Easter itself, we celebrate a world made new by Jesus%u2019 death and resurrection, so that we and the whole of Creation can share in the fullness of God%u2019s love. So, as much as anything else, Lent is a time to tell this story afresh and rest in the wonder of it. If you are observing Lent this year, then I wish you all the best as you do; and may I wish you all a very Happy Easter when it comes!Hugh Reid, Assistant Curate, St Peter & St Paul, OlneyChurches TogetherBig weekend planned to mark estate%u2019s anniversaryThousands of local people are expected at Emberton Country Park, to the north of the city, over the weekend of 12th and 13th July this year to celebrate the park%u2019s 60th birthday. It was offi cially opened in 1965 and was hailed as the UK%u2019s fi rst country park. The park%u2019s organising team are planning a big weekend of activities for children and adults, with the overall theme %u2018Back to the 60s%u2019, and Milton Keynes City Council has called on local businesses and groups to be part of the fun.Live music, performances, fun activities and refreshments will accompany natureinspired walks, talks and displays, plus bug hunting and family crafts, such as making bat and bird boxes, over the weekend.The council is also planning to include food and drink vendors, fun fair rides, display cars, stalls, shows and entertainment. All of it will be set in the beautiful 200-acre park, which attracts visitors year-round for fi shing, sailing, running and cycling, bird watching, picnicking and play.