Cruden Parish Church

17/05/2026

05/04/2026

The faithful witnesses

Over the past few days we have been exploring the place of women within the Easter story. By now, any suggestion they are merely onlookers or bystanders with no significant role or influence, must surely be blow away! In Luke’s Gospel they are the first witnesses of the resurrection. They see the empty tomb, a vison of angels and then meet with the Lord himself.

John is his Gospel offers a slightly different version of events. He includes what could be described as the greatest recognition scene in all literature. Thinking she was speaking to gardener, Mary asks ‘where have you put him.’ Jesus called out her name. With a single word, he changed her world.

Luke 24:1-12 The Resurrection of Jesus

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body.

While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to the hands of sinners and be crucified and on the third day rise again.” Then they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest.

Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

John 20:10-18 Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene

Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

They asked her, ‘Woman, why are you crying?’
‘They have taken my Lord away,’ she said, ‘and I don’t know where they have put him.’ At this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realise that it was Jesus.
He asked her, ‘Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?’

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.’
Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’

She turned towards him and cried out in Aramaic, ‘Rabboni!’ (which means ‘Teacher’).

Jesus said, ‘Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”’
Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: ‘I have seen the Lord!’ And she told them that he had said these things to her.

Reflection

What can we say that fully encompasses the wonderful truth about Jesus’ resurrection? The poet Julie Palmer offers these words.

Love overcame Emerging from a cold tomb
All the truth, majesty and creativity of a living God
Transforming a broken heart
Making a quiet return, in a still and sorrowful garden
The gravestone rolled away, to release redemptive love
Jesus resurrected and restored
Comforts a weeping woman
Speaks with travellers on a journey Meets with his faithful friends And they bow down before Christ alive
And acknowledged that the saviour has arrived
That the word of God has come alive
And that the extraordinary transformation of heaven and earth Is complete.

And what can be say about the place and role of woman in the Easter story. I think the answer is simple. Women are and continue to be central to the purpose and work of God. Note also that Jesus chosen disciples did not believe Mary when she reported seeing the Lord. Those churches that restrict the role of women are restricting God’s work. Us blokes (myself included) ignore their wisdom and testimony at our peril!

Rev Sean Swindells, Cruden Parish Church

A Prayer for Easter Sunday

Living God,
who came to this world
and entered human pain,
come and be in every painful place in our lives,
be in every painful place in our world.

Living God,
who in the secret darkness rose from the grave,
come and be in the secret, dark places in our lives,
be in every secret, dark place in our world.

Living God,
who sent the women to proclaim the resurrection
to the frightened, imprisoned apostles,
come and empower us in every frightened, imprisoned place in our lives,
empower all in every frightened, imprisoned place in our world.

Living God, Risen Son, Easter God,
come and make us your living Church,
Your risen Church,
Your Easter Church,
in every place in our world.

Picture by Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov (1806 - 1858)

05/04/2026

Whispers of grace & The entombment of Jesus

Yesterday was Good Friday. The focus of the day was the suffering and death of Jesus and the torment of Mary as she watched her son breath his last. But her tribulation is not yet over. Jesus body is taken down, handed to Joseph of Arimathea. Mark & Luke record Mary following and watching as Jesus is carried and laid in the tomb. Matthew gives a slightly different account. He ends his account of Good Friday by placing Mary Magdalene and the other Mary sitting outside the tomb.

Matthew 27:57-61 The Burial of Jesus

As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

Whispers of Grace

·
They were there
before the crowds
before the arguments
before the shouting of hosanna
and the later shouting of crucify
women
watching
listening
learning the strange, fierce mercy of God
Mary who said yes
before she knew the cost
Elizabeth who recognised hope
before the world could see it
Mary who sat at his feet
unashamed to learn
when others said she should stay in the kitchen
women who followed
through dusty towns and long roads
who carried quiet faith
like water in clay jars
and the God who is faithful
saw them
not as background
not as afterthought
but as disciples
there were women he healed
women he restored
women he lifted from the weight of shame
others had placed on their shoulders
and they loved him
not with titles
not with power
but with courage
they stood close to the cross
when others ran
they watched
when the sky darkened
when hope seemed buried in stone
they waited
and the God who is life
honoured them
the first to hear
the first to see
the first to carry the news
that death had not won
and today
we see them still
women who pray quietly
women who hold families together
women who lead
teach
heal
serve
speak truth
women who carry faith
through ordinary days
through grief
through joy
through long unseen acts of love
and the God who is justice
still sees them
still calls them
still places resurrection hope
into faithful hands
and the Lenten road
is still walked
by women
who follow Christ
with courage
even now
© E Hamilton 2026

03/04/2026

A mother’s torment - a reflection for Good Friday

There are several obnoxious forms of Christianity. There are some churches that practice control through seemingly caring and affirming relationships. All seems well. You feel supported. Then the penny drops. You become aware of unspoken expectations of conformity. Perhaps the most loathsome form of faith is the so-called prosperity gospel. This distortion of faith is the promise that blessing, health and prosperity are God’s will for all believers. Never mind the pain and brokenness of a hurting world, God’s specially chosen elect are all having a lovely time of it!

Bible Readings

Luke 2: 33-35

The child’s father and mother marvelled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

John 19:15-27 The Crucifixion

Then Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified, and the soldiers took Him away. Carrying His own cross, He went out to The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha.

There they crucified Him, and with Him two others, one on each side, with Jesus in the middle.

Pilate also had a notice posted on the cross. It read:
JESUS OF NAZARETH,
THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Many of the Jews read this sign, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but only that He said, ‘I am the King of the Jews.’”

Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided His garments into four parts, one for each soldier, with the tunic remaining. It was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it. Instead, let us cast lots to see who will get it.” This was to fulfill the Scripture:

“They divided My garments among them,
and cast lots for My clothing.”

So that is what the soldiers did.

Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother and her sister, as well as Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then He said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” So from that hour, this disciple took her into his home.

Reflection

Luke records a prophecy given by Simeon to Mary the mother of Jesus. The child is just 40 days old. And yet here the end of Jesus’ life comes into view. Mary is told a sword will pierce her heart. The use of this unusual metaphor represents emotional and spiritual pain and anguish. What Mary must have been feeling as she witnessed her son’s suffering and death is beyond words.

There is a curious paradox here. Jesus’ work of salvation is a blessing to all who commit their lives to him. Our redemption is achieved through his suffering and death. Yet for Mary the glory of the cross comes at great personal cost.
One person comments:
“A sword will pierce through your own soul.” The most wonderful, gracious event in human history was God sending his Son into the world — to the cross — to “save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21), and this gracious event caused indescribable grief for Mary. This is important to note.

As we look around our world today, we see growing levels of suffering and injustice. From the battered cities of Ukraine, to the weeping of Russian mothers at the loss of sons, to the wrecking ball of military action in the Middle East, the deepest pain and heaviest burdens are carried by mothers, grandparents and others. And the most piercing hurt for any parent is the loss of a child.

So on this Good Friday, let us remember the suffering of Jesus and all those who have suffered for righteousness – especially mothers. Let us be reminded of the call of God’s people to enter into the pain of others. In this way the cross becomes more than a symbol of suffering, but a sign of love to a hurting world.

Rev Sean Swindells, Cruden Parish Church

A Prayer for Mothers Who Suffer

O Gentle Keeper of all hearts,
hold close the mothers bowed beneath unseen weight.
Let Your light seep into the cracks of their weariness,
warming the cold corners where hope has thinned.
For the hands that have given until they tremble,
pour back strength like rain into thirsty soil.
For the eyes that have watched through sleepless nights,
lay upon them the balm of rest and quiet peace.
Let every wound—of body, mind, or spirit—
be met with Your tender mending.
Let every tear be gathered,
not lost, but sown into fields of joy yet to come.
Teach them that even in the shadowed valley,
they are not alone,
for Your love walks beside them,
and the dawn is already stirring beyond the hills.
Amen

Benediction for Good Friday
(Isaiah 53: 6; John 19: 30)

Jesus, we wait here by your tomb
carrying our grief;
the grief of the betrayer,
the grief of the denier,
the grief of the crucifiers.
We carry the grief of the lost,
the heartbroken, the bereft.
Upon you was laid the grief of us all.
It is finished.
God of endings, God of darkness,
God of the tomb, God of dark days and great loss,
be with us now as we wait with Jesus.

02/04/2026

The wife of Pontius Pilate

Last year we celebrated our thirtieth wedding anniversary. It is amazing how the time has flown. We got to know each other after I came to study as a postgrad at Aberdeen University. (We had previously at a church conference.) I still remember being taken round to meet Alison by a mutual good friend the first night of my arrival in the Granite city.

At the time I was not looking for a relationship. My eyes were fixed on full time forces chaplaincy. As usual, plans and intentions are one thing - but life often presents alternative opportunities! I ended up marrying Alison at the conclusion of her studies and serving in the Territorial Army and as a parish minister. Over the past thirty years I have learned several things. One of the most important is listening. Listening to each other. With this comes the realisation of the value of shared wisdom. I have still made mistakes and errors of judgment. But I would like to think by listening I have become a better minister and a better human being.

Bible Reading

While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.” Matthew 27:19

Reflection

Each of the Gospel writers presents slightly different perspective on the Easter story. Here, Matthew recalls a curious incident during Jesus’ trial before Pilate, the Roman Governor. It is a most unusual situation. A Roman courtroom was not the place for a spouse to interrupt the process of judgement. But the message is clear. Have nothing to do with that innocent man. She had suffered the most disturbing nightmare about him.

A few questions here. What was the source of the disturbing dream. Was she sensitive to the things happening around her? Was the dream divine in origin? Does it serve to reinforce Jesus’ innocence in the face the false testimony by the religious leaders. Early medieval writings suggested the dream was sent by the devil, who was desperate to stop Jesus’ work of atonement. What is clear – the pagan wife of the Roman Governor, was the only person who pleads for the innocence of Jesus.

There are important lessons to be gleaned from of this curious incident.

The obvious one is the need to listen. To listen to one another. To be attentive to the context in which we live. And to listen to God.

Listening to God requires discernment and must always be tested by Scripture. The wisdom of mature believers is also helpful in this regard.

Acting on the truth can sometimes bring difficult consequences. Integrity seldom leads to popularity.

Rev Sean Swindells, Cruden Parish Church

A Prayer for Deep Listening

God of silence and God of all sound,
help me to listen.
Help me to do the deep listening to the sounds of my soul,
waiting to hear your soft voice calling me deeper into you.
Give me attentive ears
that begin to separate the noise from the sounds that are you;
you who have been speaking to me
and through me my whole life,
for so long that you can seem like background noise.
Today help me hear you anew.
Amen
- Author Unknown

Prayer for Victims and Perpetrators of Injustice

For all those who have fallen victim to hatred and inhumanity, for those loved ones who are left behind to mourn, for the souls of those whose hearts are cold, Lord, hear our prayer.
For the children who are being born into this world of conflict and violence, for women and mothers who suffer needlessly, Lord, hear our prayer.
For all those who have been forced into unemployment, who long to return to work, for all those who struggle to support their families, Lord, hear our prayer.
For the children who cry in their beds at night and wonder "what have I done?"
For the mothers and fathers who must try to explain the unexplainable, Lord, hear our prayer.
For all the children who have died before their time, for the soldiers who allow their uniform to strip them of their humanity, for the healers who are denied the opportunity to use their gifts, Lord, hear our prayer.
For the redemption of souls of both victim and perpetrator, for those who commit themselves to the forgiveness of sins, Lord, hear our prayer.
- Author Unknown

01/04/2026

The faithful onlookers & Perpetua and her Companions

Yesterday I read an article by a disenchanted Church of England priest who was enraged by the appointment of the first woman Archbishop of Canterbury. In his view, this marks the end of the authentic Anglican church. From now on, because the chain of male leadership has been broken, any baptisms, confirmations or ordinations will no longer be valid. In his view the age of apostolic succession is now over. I should also add, his comments about the Most Rev Sarah Mullally DBE are almost unrepeatable.

Personally, I just don’t get it. I cannot grasp the idea that somehow the Holy Spirit is not able to operate through a person because of their gender. The prophet Joel, writing centuries before the time of Jesus made it clear that the gift of the Spirit was for young and old, male and female.

Joel 2: 28-29
‘And afterwards,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

Mark 15: 40-41
Some of the women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdelene, Mary the mother of James the young and of Joses and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with to Jerusalem were also there.

Reflection

There are significant tracts of the passion narrative where the role and presence of woman are all but omitted. In Mark’s Gospel, from Jesus’ arrest to his death, they are absent apart from the brief appearance of a servant girl whose testimony brings about Peter’s three denials before the c**k crows. They reappear just after Jesus’ death as onlookers watching the horrendous spectacle of Jesus death unfold. (Remember each of the Gospels gives a slightly different perspective.) This does not mean the women were not there or had no role to play. There is an interesting contrast. The presence of faithful followers who were women, or the men who denied or fled and hid. What is more, in the generation that followed, women along with men were martyred because of their faith. These include two saints of the early church – Perpetia and her servant Felicity.

Perpetua, a young woman of twenty-two, her slave Felicity, and three men, all recently baptised, were thrown to the beasts in the arena in Carthage in 203. A contemporary diary details the events of their sufferings and witnesses to their willingness to die in order to fulfil their following of Jesus. The totalitarian empire, loyalty to which was more and more symbolised by worship of the emperor, tried to suppress Christianity, but the courage of Perpetua and her companions and others like them bore witness to the power of the gospel. It is said that Felicity was 8 months pregnant at the time of her arrest, and gave birth to a baby girl just two days before the group was to face public martyrdom.

Eyewitness accounts have survived and tell of the two women being mauled by a “vicious cow”, savagely gored but not killed. When they stood, wounded and resilient, the crowd roared for their death and they were martyred by the sword.

Prayer

Merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you
with our whole heart and mind and strength.
We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves.
In your mercy forgive what we have been,
help us amend what we are,
and direct what we shall be,
so that we may delight in your will
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your holy name. Amen

Good and gracious God, you are the strength of those who suffer and the reward of those who endure; we praise you for the steadfast courage of Perpetua, Felicity and their friends; like them may we rise above pain and suffering, and endure because we know you, the invisible God; through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.

31/03/2026

Mary & Martha of Bethany

Last night I received the unwelcome news that a colleague (of whom I have the utmost respect) is in the final stages of life. I last spoke with them before Christmas when they were conducting the funeral of a mutual friend. I heard last week they were ill, but the sudden deterioration of their condition was unexpected. A similar experience was shared by two of Jesus’ close friends, Mary and her sister Martha.

John 11:1-37 ‘The Death of Lazarus’

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, ‘Lord, he whom you love is ill.’ 4But when Jesus heard it, he said, ‘This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’ Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
Jesus the Resurrection and the Life

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, 19and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. 20When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. 21Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.’ 23Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ 24Martha said to him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’ 25Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, 26and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.’

Jesus Weeps

When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, ‘The Teacher is here and is calling for you.’ And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’ But some of them said, ‘Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?’

Reflection

There are many questions that arise from this passage. Why did Jesus delay? If he truly cared, would he not have made haste to Lazarus’s bedside. And why did Jesus’ break down in tears, knowing that Lazarus would have a second chance at life and the families tears of sadness were about to become tears of joy? The heart of the story is the universal experience of loss and grief coupled with the promise of eternal life.

As people of faith we are not spared from the tribulations of human existence. But we have a strong friend who stands beside us! Our strong friend is of course Jesus who himself has tasted death and came back from it like the sun in full strength. Martha’s faith and confidence is striking. She appears way ahead of the disciples in comprehending who Jesus is and what he can do. Writing some twenty years late, the Apostle Paul notes: ‘But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.’

A few things to think about…

What is your understanding of the hope we have in Jesus?

How does the hope of resurrection flavour our experience of grief?

Prayer

For all those who woke this morning
to the loneliness of bereavement -
the empty bed or chair,
an unaccustomed quietness,
a life now incomplete -
may they know your presence
in the stillness of the day,
and through the love of friends
who offer their condolence.
And in the darker moments
may they reach out to hold your hand
and feel the warmth of the One
who has already passed from death to life
to welcome others into God’s Kingdom.

Amen.

For those we have lost – May they rest in peace and rise in glory!

Rev Sean Swindells, Cruden Parish Church

30/03/2026

Reflection for the Monday of Holy Week - Mary of Bethany

Mary of Bethany

Have you ever been touched by the random kindness of strangers? One memory that came to mind was trying to navigate the New York subway. It was the tail end of the rush hour, and Alison had got herself trapped behind an automatic barrier. There was no exit without a valid ticket, which by accident had been used without passing through the barrier. Alison was stuck. I was on the other side, and we had no more valid tickets! Our options were limited. What were we to do? Was Alison destined to live out the remaining years of her life as a denizen of the New York subway?
Fortunately, Alison was released by a random act of kindness. A lady passing through the barrier, saw her predicament and let her through.

Matthew records an act of kindness carried out by an unnamed woman from the village of Bethany:

While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the L***r, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. "Why this waste?" they asked. "This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor." Aware of this, Jesus said to them, "Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you,[2] but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her." Matthew 26:6–13

This event is recorded in all four of the Gospels. In John, the woman is identified as Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. Luke records an unnamed ‘sinful woman.’ It is likely all the Gospel writers record the same event but from different perspectives. Whatever the truth here, the act of pouring expensive perfume over Jesus’ head was a significant gesture. In ancient Jewish culture anointing with oil signified the conferring of the Spirit of the Lord on a king or priest. Anointing with perfume was slightly different. It was part of the funeral rites – showing respect for a loved one and preparing the body for burial. Perfume, often mixed with spices like myrrh, would mask odors and preserve the body.

The passage then contains an interesting contrast. The beautiful and generous act of a woman pouring the expensive perfume over Jesus' head compares with the rather curmudgeonly comment by the disciples. They view perfume as a waste of money which should have been donated to charity. The phrase ‘knowing the price of everything but the value of nothing’ comes to mind here. Whilst compassion and generosity are the hallmarks of ethical living, the disciples simply don’t get it. They miss the point entirely! For example, who in their right mind would criticize a family for providing a dignified funeral for a loved one?

So what conclusion can we take from this passage? First, Jesus’ life had one purpose and one direction – the cross. He was the suffering servant and the sacrificial lamb. With the hindsight of scripture, we see the coming together of many different threats that weave to form the cross. His anointing for burial is just but one of these many threads. Second, when we explore the gospels in detail and explore how the narratives are formed and structured, something else emerges. As revealed in this passage, the men get it wrong, but the women get it right! This will be repeated again as we journey through Holy Week.

Points for reflection

Think of all acts of random and unmerited kindness we have witnessed?

Rev Sean Swindells

O God, your Son Jesus Christ enjoyed rest and refreshment in the home of Mary and Martha of Bethany: Give us the will to love you, open our hearts to hear you, and strengthen our hands to serve you in others for his sake; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
— Book of Common Prayer