Categories: ecclesiastical-stuff
Date: 04 April 2010 08:32:20
The alarm went off at 3:30am this morning, so I dragged myself up and went to the next room to wake my guest up. At 4am we headed out the flat, meeting our Orthodox friends on the way out - they were on their way home. So we all wished each other Happy Easter whilst the rest of the world slept and went on our way.
About 4:30 we met some friends heading up the hill to the church TOH goes to. This was rather fortunate as it meant I wasn't sitting their on my own like a complete Billy whilst she was acolyting, (that is poncing about behind clergy with a candle for those who aren't familiar with these things).
On the way to the a rather pretty but cold bit of the church, which I believe might be called the chapter house but I'm not sure....what's what up there confuddles me ... we were given a booklet that ran to 28 pages. This, I knew from previous experience was a hardcore Easter service that was rather different to a bunch of peeps meeting up on the seafront sometime after sunrise. Anyway I digress.
First off we sat in the pitch black through some rather depressing readings from the Old Testament. Now I know they are meant to be ones which give us hope and some of them did, but these were not "nice" things to listen to first thing in the morning. There was the one about God playing mindgames with a bloke and his son. Having told the dad that his son was going to have to be murdered and getting said son to carry the wood up the hill having a disturbing feeling about what was happening. Then there were all these Egyptians who got drowned when their chariots got stuck in the mud once they had decided to retreat anyway. Finally within the horror section there was a rather creepy story about a set of bones rising from the dead and tissue, sinew and skin being added over these bones before they were given life. Now I know the reason behind this is because this tradition likes to acknowledge the passover more but can't they do it by having a good knees up over an actual passover meal on Maundy Thursday?
Anyway then we all got up and went outside to the cloisters and looked through the walls at what looked like a cross between the Klu Klux clan and the masons having a gathering over one of them strike fires. I hadn't seen TOH in her acolyting get up before and I have to say this first glimpse, with her standing to one side behind the main participants around the fire was rather creepy. They all looked like something out of a disturbing bit of a Dan Brown novel.
Anyway, after that was all over it was walkabout time again. This time into the main church where we all got a candle. Tip here it is not a good thing if you put out the tapers being used to light candles by being particularly crap at lighting them. This Easter I have become an expert in putting out the lights at the wrong time, (like when we were trying to light them). By this time we had only made it onto page 6 of the book.
Anyway it got underway and it didn't take too much time for us to get to page 13 and a talk from the main blokey. This was rather a kick ass sermon, it has to be said. Far more enthusiastic and stuff than last years. He was addressing the people about to be confirmed, (and a few also baptised). The water symbolised the cleansing by Jesus he explained. The fire was the Holy Spirit and stretching it a bit more the breakfast was like the church. The basic thrust was that Easter is about God's Kingdom coming now and us having a responsibility individually and corporately, through the Spirit, to think out our response and get involved.
There was one "Telegraph quote" moment when put in a soundbite about the way in many voluntary organisations it was Christians who made up the majority of volunteers and the way much of the work in asylum seekers in this country was also being done by Christians. Interestingly at this point he didn't mention the SWP who also provide many volunteers and support similar casuses ;) Also loved the way he was talking about baptism, at one point I really expected him to say, "of course what I'm trying to say is this church have got it mixed up. We should be doing it like the Baptists do".
Anyway after the sermon it was time for the confirmations to begin. This involved yet more walk about and some enthusiastic wet branch swinging by the conductor of proceedings. Somehow, we ended up at the back of the church with a really good view of proceedings. When the actual confirmation bit was going on with the laying on of hands and stuff each person getting done had to hold up their name, a bit like they do on the weakest link, so that the bloke with the hat could insert it into the beginning of the sentence. It made me a bit sad actually. I thought back to mine and Third Party's baptisms and that one thing that made it really special was knowing that the people officiating really new us personally and so were genuinely celebrating with us as people.
Anyway eventually after various other bits of walking around and lighting, blowing out candles it was over and we headed off to the church's restaraunt for brekkie. I managed to get food but found myself perched with TOH on a table outside. The guy with the funny hat who had done the kick ass sermon came over to say Hi to TOH and, because she is no longer going through the process and having to play the games, she introduced me saying, "Bishop Tom have you met my partner Tractor Girl?", (although obviously she said my real name). As we shook hands I was struck that despite his fame and silly hat, (and this guy does have it), he is very much just a very ordinary bloke.
Anyway, that's enough of that, now get to go and do Easter proper low church style, (hopefully), at my home church whilst TOH goes back to the church on the hill for some more poncing around with her candle and Bishop Tom's main spring sermon for the Telegraph readers .