Categories: uncategorized
Date: 19 April 2004 15:10:08
Only one Choral service today, which after the madness of last week was probably just as well. The Eucharist was combined with a baptism - why are all the babies so quiet when they come to our church? (The descants obviously were not too raucous, and even Stanford's Psalm 150 didn't even raise a murmur from the sleeping babe).
Normally on the Sunday after a Festival, the choir numbers are down, but today we had to put out extra chairs as the choir stalls were not long enough, and we had to start a second rail at the communion. Anyway, all assembled without too much delay afterwards at the back of church, to sing the unaccompanied 'Now the Green Blade Riseth'. This is most effective when sung quietly for verses 1,2,4 ('Now the green blade riseth..... In the grave they laid him..... When our hearts are wintry'.....) with a much louder third verse - 'Forth he came at Easter, like the risen grain'.
Present at the service were the former vicar, now an Archdeacon, here on his post-Easter break - who was prevailed upon to celebrate; and two new icons, given to the church by a visitor whose name, coincidentally, is that of the patron saint of the church - Eustachius.