April 2020 Magazine

revealed, not to all the people but to witnesses whose task it was
to continue the work he had begun; and they did that, at great
personal cost. Would they have suffered, as they undoubtedly did,
for something they knew to be a lie?
Matthew’s account of the resurrection catches the mood very neatly
when he tells how the women returned from the tomb ‘with fear
and great joy’. It’s understandable that the fear should continue.
For the disciples slipping back into a quieter life was probably quite
an attractive option. Eventually they would have accepted that the
story of Jesus was all over; but now clearly, it was anything but.
Fear and joy together were very natural responses.
A popular Easter hymn proclaims: ‘Love is come again as wheat
that springeth green’; or, as the famous poem puts it: ‘And then
my heart with pleasure fills
and dances with the daffodils.’
Easter peace and joy be with you all,
Finlay
Locum Ministers
At the end of March we said ‘farewell’ to the Rev Jim Cutler who has served as
locum minister over the past six months. Jim’s ministry has been much
appreciated; we thank him warmly for it and wish him well for the future. In
succession to Jim the Rev John Smith will take up the role of locum. Like Jim he is
a Peebles resident and already well known to many. We welcome him warmly and
look forward to his ministry.
Covid-19
We are living in strange times and the thought that church services should be
suspended until further notice would never have occurred to any of us. Going
forward we plan to provide worship resources to be placed on the Old Parish Church
website and on the Eddleston Church facebook page. We hope that this will offer
some compensation for the loss of public worship. Meantime, all members and
friends are urged to continue their support of the congregations through your
prayers, service and giving and, where possible, to offer practical support to those
particularly affected by the Covid-19 virus. If visiting is not advised a phone, skype
or facetime call may offer some comfort and reassurance.