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James McDougall
We hope you will enjoy
reading this magazine as we try to convey
why Easter is so important to millions of
Chris&ans around the world.
Why is it important?
Because we believe that Jesus Christ
came to tell us things, to give us an
amazing opportunity and a crucial choice,
and then to die for us all and, three days
later, come back from the grave to prove
that life exists a,er death.
Much is said and wri-en about Easter. As
Chris&ans we believe that Jesus is the Son
of God and that He died on Good Friday to
pay all the debts that we humans have in
the form of sin through the damage we do
to God's property.
What property?
Well, humanity, the environment and
other occupants of this wonderful world,
such as birds and animals. People of faith
believe that God is the source of energy,
power and ideas behind all of crea&on, so
all belongs to Him.
Why would God ask for a repayment of
such debts?
If we here in Aberdeen city centre are
hurt when our property is damaged or
threatened, why should God be any
different?
So what? Does it ma(er that
Jesus died and rose again?
Weird though it may seem that
He had to die, it's the difference in
this life between finding and not
finding the freedom, inner peace
and purpose that lasts and
sa&sfies. It is also crucial to the
well-being of our immortal souls.
In this magazine you’ll find
insights into important Easter
events and tradi&ons, as well as a
children’s corner, an anagram
compe&&on, church contacts,
Easter service informa&on and an
ar&cle on the role of work place
chaplains.
We hope you will find it an
interes&ng and fun read. And if we
can help you in any way, please let
us know.
In the mean&me, HAPPY EASTER
TO YOU FROM ALL IN THE ABERDEEN
CITY CENTRE PARISH GROUPING!
“Easter Good News” is the
magazine of the Aberdeen City
Centre Parish Grouping, a joint
working arrangement between
three city centre churches. St
Mark’s (next to HM Theatre) and
Queen Street (opposite the Arts
Centre) are Church of Scotland
charges, and the Kirk of St
Nicholas Uni&ng (on Union Street)
is an ecumenical union of the
Church of Scotland and the
United Reformed Church.
The Grouping has a Triskeles logo,
symbolising the three-way co-
opera&on and the Chris&an doctrine
of God as a three-in-one Trinity –
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Aberdeen City Centre Parish Grouping Le(ers to the Editor
If you have a viewpoint you would like to
share about anything you read in this
magazine, or any issue concerning
Aberdeen city centre, please send your
le-er to:
Ian McIver, c/o Queen Street Church, 79
Queen Street, Aberdeen, AB10 1AN, or by
email to ianmci@hotmail.co.uk.
Easter Sunday is always one of the 35
dates from March 22 to April 25, being
the Sunday following the Paschal
(Passover) Full Moon, which this year
falls on April 6. Easter Sunday is
therefore on April 8.
Shrove Tuesday (also known as Pancake
Day) is the day preceding Ash
Wednesday, the first day of Lent.
Observed in English-speaking countries,
the day is known for the ea&ng of
pancakes, made out of sugar, fat, flour
and eggs, the consump&on of which was
tradi&onally restricted during the ritual
fas&ng associated with Lent.
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent
and occurs 46 days before Easter.
According to the Gospels of Ma-hew,
Mark and Luke, Jesus spent 40 days
fas&ng in the desert before the beginning
of His public ministry, during which He
was tempted by Satan. Ash Wednesday
marks the beginning of this 40-day
period of prayer and fas&ng. It derives its
name from the prac&ce of placing ashes
on the forehead as a sign of mourning
and repentance to God.
From the upper room, Jesus goes to the
Garden of Gethsemane (meaning ‘oil
press’) at the foot of the Mount of Olives
in Jerusalem where Judas betrays him
with a kiss, leading to His arrest.
Good Friday commemorates the trials
of Jesus before the Jewish authori&es
and the Roman Governor Pon&us Pilate,
culmina&ng in his flogging, Crucifixion
and death on Calvary’s hill, outside the
city walls of Jerusalem. Calling the day of
the Crucifixion ‘Good Friday’ is peculiar
to the English language. In German, for
example, it is called ‘Mourning Friday’.
So, why call it Good Friday? Some hold
that the word ‘good’ used to have a
secondary meaning of holy, while others
point out the similarity between ‘God’
and ‘good’ (eg the phrase ‘God be with
you’ is now ‘good-bye’). But perhaps it’s
called Good Friday because all the
tragedy and suffering brought about the
greatest good there could be.
Easter Day or Easter Sunday is the
central feast in the Chris&an calendar,
celebra&ng the day on which Jesus rose
from the dead on the third day a,er His
Crucifixion. Easter marks the end of Lent
and is followed by a 50-day period called
Easter1de or the Easter Season, ending
with Pentecost Sunday, commemora&ng
the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the
remaining eleven disciples (Judas had
hanged himself).
For the believer, Lent is a &me of
prayer, penance, repentance, almsgiving
and self-denial. During the Lenten
season, some faithful observants commit
to a form of fas&ng or (temporarily!) give
up certain types of food e.g. chocolate.
Palm Sunday marks the start of Holy
Week and is a moveable feast that falls
on the Sunday before Easter,
commemora&ng Jesus' triumphal entry
into Jerusalem. It is marked by the
distribu&on of palm leaves (o,en &ed
into crosses) to the assembled
worshippers.
The fi,h day of Holy Week, Maundy
Thursday, is the common name for Holy
Thursday and marks the beginning of the
three-day celebra&ng of Easter. It
commemorates the day of the Last
Supper of Jesus Christ with His disciples
and gets its name from the La&n word
mandatum, which means ‘command’.
Near the end of the Last Supper, a,er
Judas Iscariot had departed, Christ said
to the disciples, "A new command I give
you: Love one another. As I have loved
you, so you must love one another." (John
13:34).
The Last Supper, held in an upper room
in Jerusalem on the night before Jesus’
Crucifixion, provides the scriptural basis
for the Eucharist, also known as ‘Holy
Communion’ or ‘the Lord's Supper’.
Ma-hew, Mark and Luke tell of Jesus
taking bread, giving thanks and breaking
it, saying: “This is my body.” Then he
takes the cup (the so-called ‘Holy Grail’),
gives thanks and offers it to the disciples,
saying: “This is my blood of the
covenant, which is poured out for
many.”
What do work place chaplains do . . ?
Well, they spend quite a lot of &me wandering around listening to
people!
This is a crucial part of their role because, in the course of wandering,
listening and cha�ng, connec&ons are made with those in the work
place, rela&onships are formed, so that when a worker needs an ear for
a significant conversa&on, they are talking to someone they know and
trust.
Work Place Chaplaincy Scotland (WPCS) offers pastoral and spiritual care to those of all faiths and none, believing that the
opportunity to express what gives value to their lives is an important aspect of spirituality.
Chaplains hope and pray that they will be able to bring something of the loving presence of Christ into the work arena and,
aware that they hold a representa&ve role for all Chris&ans in employment, they try to encourage Chris&ans in the work place
to share the ministry with them.
All that chaplains offer comes out of their personal rela&onship with God and is resourced by those around them on the
Chris&an journey. In various ways, by their connec&ons within churches and other organisa&ons, they provide a bridge between
faith communi&es and the world of work, living up to WPCS’s mo-o: “We’re there and we care!”
Chaplaincy in Aberdeen is provided to the large shopping malls, small retail outlets, the voluntary (‘Third’) sector and
Aberdeen City Council. Whatever form it takes, it is to the benefit of employees and employers alike. Studies have shown that
where good quality, consistent chaplaincy is provided, personnel feel be-er supported, absentee rates fall and industrial
rela&ons improve.
Because the working community in Aberdeen is so vast, WPCS is interested in hearing from volunteers who feel they may be
called by God to share this ministry with the two full-&me chaplains.
Obedient Unto Death The Source of Eternal Life
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Hot cross buns are sweet, yeast-
leavened, spiced buns made with
currants or raisins, o,en with candied
citrus fruits, marked with a cross on the
top. The cross can be made from pastry,
flour and water mixture, rice paper or
icing. In many historically Chris&an
countries, buns are tradi&onally eaten
hot or toasted on Good Friday, with the
cross standing as a symbol of the
Crucifixion, but in the UK they are now
sold all year round.
Easter eggs are o,en given to celebrate
Easter or spring&me. The oldest tradi&on
is to use dyed or painted chicken eggs,
but a modern custom is to subs&tute
chocolate eggs, or plas&c eggs filled with
confec&onery. The egg is seen by
Chris&ans as a symbol of resurrec&on:
while being dormant, it contains a new
life sealed within it. In Eastern tradi&ons,
Easter eggs are dyed red to represent
the blood of Christ, shed on the Cross,
and the hard shell of the egg symbolises
the sealed tomb of Christ — the cracking
of which symbolises His Resurrec&on
from the dead.
An Easter Bonnet represents the tail-
end of a tradi&on of wearing new clothes
at Easter, in harmony with the renewal
of the year and the promise of spiritual
renewal and redemp&on
The Easter Bunny or Easter Rabbit
(some&mes Spring Bunny in the U.S.) is a
character depicted as a rabbit bringing
Easter eggs, some&mes depicted with
clothes. In legend, the creature brings
baskets filled with colored eggs,
chocolate and some&mes toys to
children’s homes.
Eggs, like rabbits and hares, are fer&lity
symbols of an&quity. Since birds lay eggs
and rabbits and hares give birth to large
li-ers in the early spring, these became
symbols of the rising fer&lity of the earth
at the Vernal Spring Equinox.
Mothering Sunday in the UK, the
equivalent of Mothers' Day in other
countries, is a &me when children pay
respect to their mothers, o,en giving
them a gi, and a card.
Many churches give the children in the
congrega&on a li-le bunch of spring
flowers to give to their mothers as a
thank you for all their care and love
throughout the year. Mothering Sunday
is always the fourth Sunday of Lent (18
March 2012).
On the Sunday before Easter, many
Chris&ans celebrate Palm Sunday.
Recalling the triumphal entrance of Jesus
into Jerusalem, riding on a donkey,
churches distribute palm leaves in
remembrance of the people who waved
them and carpeted his path with them.
One of the things you can do with these
palm leaves is to fold them into palm
crosses. These are o,en handed out as
gi,s at church services.
The pre-Chris&an Saxons had a spring
goddess Eostre, whose feast was held
on the Vernal Equinox, around 21
March. Pope Gregory the Great ordered
his missionaries to use old religious sites
and fes&vals and absorb them into
Chris&an rituals where possible. The
Chris&an celebra&on of the
Resurrec&on of Christ was ideally suited
to be merged with the Pagan feast of
Eostre and many of the tradi&ons were
adopted into the Chris&an fes&vi&es. In
Britain, Germany and other countries
children tradi&onally roll eggs down
hillsides at Easter, symbolic of the
rolling away of the rock from Jesus
Christ’s tomb before His Resurrec&on.
The day before Good Friday is known
as Maundy Thursday in Britain. At the
Royal Maundy religious service on that
day the Bri&sh Monarch ceremonially
distributes small silver coins, known as
"Maundy money" (legally, "the Queen's
Maundy money"), as symbolic alms to
elderly recipients. The coins are legal
tender, but do not circulate because of
their silver content and numisma&c
value. In the Middle Ages, English
monarchs washed the feet of beggars in
imita&on of Jesus, and presented gi,s
and money to the poor.
Remember, God is always with us,
although we don’t see Him. But He
can see us and He is with us
wherever we go.
Easter reminds us of when Jesus
was crucified by bad people who did
not care for Him. But God cares for
everyone, even those who break the
law and behave in a disgraceful way
towards other people.
James McDougall
Christmas Anagram Winner
Congratula&ons to Mrs Wilma
Simpson of Rosemount
Solu1on:
Poinse�a, Crackers, Pantomime, Baby
Jesus, Watchnight Service,
Decora&ons, Boxing Day, Advent
Calendar, Candles, Saint Nicholas,
Carols, Snowman, Na&vity, Manger,
Brandy Sauce, Mistletoe, Turkey,
Yule&de, Chestnuts, Presents.
Easter Anagram Compe11on
Find these words in the grid above:
Maundy Peter Holy
Crucifixion Jerusalem Resurrec&on
Gethsemane Emmaus Colt
Jesus Upper Room Sanhedrin
Calvary Mob Empty Tomb
Sunday Cross Nails
AIOODDFGRY (2 words) AAEELLMPSV (2) AAEEEEOOCCGGHLRSTT (3)
IIIOUCCFNRX AAIOOODLRSV (2) EEIOUCNRRRST
EIOGGGLLNR (2) AEOPRSSV AAEIIICFHLNRSSTTV (2)
EOBNNT AACHLPS AAUDLMNPSY (2)
OOUBCHNRSSST (3) AIOOOCDHHLLSY (2) AEEEIILLRSST (2)
EODKNY AEULPPRSST (2) AAAEEDGLMMNRY (2)
AAUUDDHMNRSTYY (2) EEUCHLPRS EONST
Entries to: Ian McIver, Queen Street Church, 79 Queen Street, Aberdeen,
AB10 1AN, or by email to ianmci@hotmail.co.uk. Closing date is 13th
April
2012. The first correct entry out of the bag at 5pm on that day will win a
£20 food voucher.
Community Contacts (as at February 2012)
Aberdeen City Council Services:
An&-social behaviour: 08456 066548 (Mon-Sun 9-4)
Benefits advice: 522709 (Mon-Fri 9.30-12, 2-4)
Consumer direct: 08454 040506 (Mon-Fri 8-6.30; Sat 9-1)
Council Tax & housing/council tax benefits: 08456 080921 (Mon-Fri 9-5)
Debt counselling: 523738 (Mon-Fri 9-5).
General enquiries: 08456 080910 (Mon-Fri 9-5).
Social work services: duty team 522055; welfare rights team 523203; out of hours team 693936.
MSPs
Kevin Stewart (SNP), Aberdeen Central, 522540 or 0131 348 6382, e-mail Kevin.Stewart.msp@sco�sh.parliament.uk
(For regional MSPs, see www.sco�sh.parliament.uk)
MPs
Frank Doran (Lab), Aberdeen North, 252715, e-mail frank.doran.mp@parliament.uk; Anne Begg (Lab), Aberdeen South, 252704, e-mail
anne.begg.mp@parliament.uk
Grampian Police Local Policing Teams
Contact the inspectors or their teams for Rosemount, Hanover and the City Centre on 0845 600 5700 or
mylocalpolicingteam@grampian.pnn.police.uk
Crimestoppers: 0800 555 111. Aberdeen & District Samaritans: 574488, or 08457 909090, or e-mail jo@samaritans.org
Aberdeen City Centre Parish Grouping Community Outreach Worker: Ian McIver, 07890 932677, or e-mail ianmci@hotmail.co.uk
The Aberdeen City Centre Parish Grouping will be holding five HOLY WEEK SERVICES in Queen Street Church (between the Arts Centre and
the Lemon Tree) from Monday-Friday, 2-6 April at 7.00pm. An open invita&on is extended to a-end any or all of them.
Easter Services
Kirk of St Nicholas Uni1ng
Maundy Thursday (April 5) Eucharist in
the Cowan Chapel - 1.05pm; Good
Friday Service (April 6) as part of the
City Centre Walk of Faith - 12.30pm;
Easter Sunday (April 8) Eucharist –
11.00am.
Queen Street Church
Easter Sunday Holy Communion -
11am.
St Mark’s Church
Easter Sunday “He is Risen!”
Celebra&on, Well of Spa Piazza,
Denburn – 9.00am; Easter Sunday
Family Fun Service (to include judging
of Easter egg decora&on and Easter
picture entries) – 11.00am, followed by
a short service of Holy Communion.
April 15 – Church Family Party,
celebra&ng Easter, spring and life in
Christ.
Kirk of St Nicholas Uni1ng
Minister: Rev Stephen Taylor
e-mail: minister@kirk-of-st-nicholas.org.uk
Church office: 643494
e-mail: mitherkirk@btconnect.com
website: www.kirk-of-st-nicholas.org.uk
Queen Street Church
Minister: Rev Dr Graham D S Deans
Church office (Weds): 643567
e-mail: queenstreetchurch@btconnect.com
website: www.queenstreetchurch.org.uk
St Mark’s Church
Minister: Rev Diane Hobson Manse 641758
e-mail: dianehobson.rev@b&nternet.com
Church office: 640672
e-mail: stmarksabdn@btconnect.com
website: www.stmarksaberdeen.org.uk