In recent years, this wooden model of a tomb has appeared outside of St Peter’s in the weeks around Easter – and you may have found your way to this page by clicking on the QR code by it, so welcome!
As a Church, St Peter’s is about bringing people together to explore the story of a man called Jesus Christ. He lived 2000 years ago, in what we now know as Israel, and was a wandering teacher for three years before being arrested and executed as a common criminal. This tomb is here to remind people of this story, which doesn’t sound of any great interest or relevance to a modern world. Except that Jesus Christ was no ordinary man – his followers (“Christians”) believe that he was born in a miraculous way, because God himself was his father (the Christmas story). Christians believe that Jesus grew up and said amazing things about God, teaching us about the one who created everything and yet knows each of us intimately, loving us and forgiving us for what we do that is wrong. Christians also believe that Jesus did amazing things which bent the laws of nature – he walked on water, he stilled storms, he healed sick people and even raised the dead. But the biggest event in Jesus’ life is represented by this tomb. Jesus, who nobody has ever shown to have done anything wrong, was arrested, tortured and convicted of a crime he was innocent of. He was executed in the cruellest manner possible – crucifixion – and then laid in a tomb given by a friend. That should have been in it but two days later, the tomb was empty. All sorts of explanations have been given, but his friends, and Christians today, believe that God brought him back to life. At the time, his friends claimed to have seen him, talked with him, walked with him, ate with him, for 40 days before they saw him taken to Heaven. And why did this happen? That’s the question Christians want to explore. Sounds bizarre? It is! But there are millions (billions, actually) who believe it happened, including the people who come to St Peter’s Church. If all of this this intrigues you, fascinates you or makes you want to know more, click here to find out when our services are, or click questions@stpy.org to find out more!
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Visit our Easter page for info on our Services coming up.