Categories: uncategorized
Date: 28 April 2008 02:17:06
It is raining! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
We did lots of gardening on the weekend. We have some lovely garden beds that display our weeds nicely! But now they are all weeded, and fertilised and mulched ready for whatever we want to plant in them.
There was no moisture in the soil and no worms, only spiders. And now it is raining and raining and raining.
We had our Easter service. The service starts with chanting. The image of the body of Jesus, a painted wooden icon cut out in the shape of Jesus body is lifted from the table in the middle of the church where is has been laying in a burial cloth and carried up onto the alter. The church is in total darkness when Jesus body is lifted up, then the priest brings a candle out and calls He is Risen! Then everyone lights their candle from this candle. It is amazing how much light one candle gives out in the total darkness.
After the service, which finished at 1am! the priest called out, "let the feast begin" and a little girl jumped and down and called out, "Yes!"
Despite birthday parties to attend we fitted in a breakfast feast of bacon and eggs and tomato and pancakes with maple syrup and chocolate and coffee and hot cross buns, and a dinner feast of roast lamb and veges and chocolate cake with double cream. There was still hot cross buns and Greek Easter bread (given to us by our God father) and Stollen (I know it's for Christmas but it tastes great!) but we couldn't fit it all in.
And like all good feasts, it continues for days with all the left overs providing special treats.
A friend told me he has observed that the Orthodox really know how to party. With all the senses, and great food, and Easter services that go on for a week. He has limited experience of church, but he says church celebrations are two days a year, talk, talk, talk and then go home. Of course no doubt other people have different experiences, but I found his observation interesting.
Every bite of chocolate was so delicious and it reminded me, with every bite, we are feasting because Jesus rose from the dead. He is alive.