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Viewpoint from Rev Dan Waite 18/04/2014
 Revd Dan Waite
Associate Vicar, St Andrew’s Church, Gorleston
as published in the Yarmouth Mercury
God loves you. Did you know? Has no-one ever told you? He loves you, and me, and all of his creation with a wonderful deep love. Whether we recognise it or not, God has created in our hearts a huge desire and a sense of need, because he wants to fill them with a gift of himself. He doesn’t like, in fact he hates, the bad things we may think and say and do sometimes, but he loves us and wants a close relationship with each one of us
We mirror our Father God’s relationship with us in the relationship we have with our children. As parents, we attempt to guide our children to make good decisions and we are annoyed and angry when they flout us and do what we think are stupid things. We still love our children but are sad and frustrated that they don’t heed our advice
So it is with our Heavenly Father, who gave his children advice for living which was written down in the Bible to be our guide for following holy and fruitful lives. But that wasn’t enough because we all have a sinful nature which results in ungodly acts that deserves punishment and so separates us from God
However, God had a plan. We couldn’t sort out the problem but he could, and he provided us with a way into a relationship with him. God’s plan involved his Son, Jesus, who came to earth on a rescue mission. He lived a life of obscurity for thirty years, then just at the right time stepped out into his mission, telling people about the love of God and demonstrating that love through miracles. Knowing his time on earth was limited, he drew around him a group of followers whom he taught and gave them authority to do the things that he did through the power of God’s Holy Spirit
Jesus’ radical teaching about love and forgiveness and living in the way God wants us to live, upset the religious and political leaders so he was put to death on the cross, probably the most horrendous of executions devised by man. But God raised him to life from death and he appeared and talked to many people before ascending to heaven
Eastertime is a special celebration of Jesus’ life and death and resurrection. Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the world, and he want to be your Saviour too. Why not visit a church near you and discover more about Jesus, the Son of God who loves you enough to die for you
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