Westminster Abbey

'Turn to the back of the book, read the last sentence too soon, and you spoil the story.  It is a mistake we can make at Easter. ‘The day of resurrection, earth tell it out abroad’.  That’s a marvellous beginning. Easter Day is a great proclamation, but then we’re tempted to rush headlong, up from earth into the sky. It’s Easter and we are all going to heaven. ‘from earth unto the sky, our Christ has brought us over’ we sing in that famous Easter hymn. We have turned to the last page. Our telling of the story ends too soon.'
Listen to a reflection for Easter Sunday by the Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster. 
After spending Lent exploring the life and work of Jesus through the 'I Am' statements in John's gospel, we now move to the events of Holy Week. From Palm Sunday to Easter Day, our reflections now focus on the meaning behind each significant day of Holy Week. Thank you for joining us as we've followed the story of Jesus – from triumph to tragedy, from the cross to the empty tomb. We wish you a very Happy Easter.

'To talk of ‘descent’ is, of course, a metaphor – the closest we can get to understanding what is going on.  But Holy Saturday is when this metaphor must yield to another; of rising, of being raised.  The descent into the human condition; into suffering and death and into the furthest alienation from love and life, reaches its limit today.'
Listen to a reflection for Holy Saturday by the Reverend Mark Birch, Canon Rector at the Abbey. 
After spending Lent exploring the life and work of Jesus through the 'I Am' statements in John's gospel, we now move to the events of Holy Week. From Palm Sunday to Easter Day, our reflections now focus on the meaning behind each significant day of Holy Week. Join us as we follow the story of Jesus – from triumph to tragedy, from the cross to the empty tomb.

'Throughout Lent we have considered Jesus through his own statements of who he is: the I Am statements that fill us with metaphor and meaning as we contemplate Christ. But here, on Good Friday, we seem to gaze upon a frightening emptiness made more excruciatingly obvious by Pilate’s perhaps-ironic inscription: the King of the Jews. There are no loaves nor fishes here, no vine nor sheep, just a broken body nailed to a cross.'
Listen to a reflection for Good Friday by the Reverend Helena Bickley-Percival, Sacrist at the Abbey. 
After spending Lent exploring the life and work of Jesus through the 'I Am' statements in John's gospel, we now move to the events of Holy Week. From Palm Sunday to Easter Day, our reflections now focus on the meaning behind each significant day of Holy Week. Join us as we follow the story of Jesus – from triumph to tragedy, from the cross to the empty tomb.

'Jesus kneels in front of them. This is the posture of an incarnate God; Jesus does not seek to control or coerce, there is no manipulation here. Simply the demonstration of loving, tender service, and a command to do as he does. That is the heart of the new commandment – the mandatum from which we get our word Maundy – to love one another, as Christ has loved us.'
Listen to a reflection for Maundy Thursday by the Reverend Dr James Hawkey, Canon Theologian and Almoner at the Abbey. 
After spending Lent exploring the life and work of Jesus through the 'I Am' statements in John's gospel, we now move to the events of Holy Week. From Palm Sunday to Easter Day, our reflections now focus on the meaning behind each significant day of Holy Week. Join us as we follow the story of Jesus – from triumph to tragedy, from the cross to the empty tomb.

'It is often said, but if we just skip from Palm Sunday to Easter Day, we will have missed all the important bits.  We might be more inclined to think that this is some magical happily-ever-after story, rather than the deep Divine engagement in rejection and suffering and death that we discover through Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday.   These are the days that explore why the resurrection of Jesus might be good news for all of us, not just good news for him.'
Listen to a reflection for Palm Sunday by the Reverend Mark Birch, Canon Rector at the Abbey. 
After spending Lent exploring the life and work of Jesus through the 'I Am' statements in John's gospel, we now move to the events of Holy Week. From Palm Sunday to Easter Day, our reflections now focus on the meaning behind each significant day of Holy Week. Join us as we follow the story of Jesus – from triumph to tragedy, from the cross to the empty tomb.