By Steve Tunstall - Trinity Church (Baptist and URC - HERE we are, back in that period of the church's calendar known as Lent. Last Sunday was the first Sunday in Lent and Christians the world over will know that Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, which is forty weekdays before Holy Saturday when Lent ends, the Saturday being the day between Good Friday and Easter Day.

Our Lord's busyness in His final week on earth prior to his crucifixion was truly phenomenal; the Gospels record no less than 35 separate happenings in the five days from Palm Sunday to Maundy Thursday. I refer to just one of these, illustrated by the brief phrase found in St John's Gospel, ch18, v2, "...for Jesus Oft-times resorted thither with His disciples." "Thither", was his visit with Peter, James and John to the Garden of Gethsemane which was the third last event recorded for Maundy Thursday. The deep quiet and beauty of the olive garden which was one of our Lord's prayer closets was often used alone and also in company with his closest followers as a place of solitude and quietness, for physical restoration and prayerful communion with God. But there was to be no rest or peace on this occasion!

Now, he sought to wrestle in such familiar and beautiful surroundings with the terrible events he knew he would face on the morrow. His cry of anguish was: "Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me, nevertheless not my will but thine be done."

We know that God could not grant his Son's request, and so on the first Good Friday, Jesus paid once and for all the sacrificial debt for the sins of the whole world by his own death.

Should we not in response, prostrate ourselves before Him and in the words of Thomas, who was the doubter of the 12 disciples, say from our hearts: "My Lord and my God".

He is not a dead Saviour for following the events on the first Easter Day, he is now a risen and glorified Saviour and Lord, waiting to forgive and redeem all those who call upon him.

I leave the final word to the Apostle Paul, who wrote in Romans ch10 v9: "If we confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead, we shall be saved."

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