Good Friday
This morning, we put up the Stations of the Cross labyrinth at Faith; it was absolutely beautiful when finished. Afterwards, I did some shopping for Easter dinner, and then came home to take a shower and get dressed for church this evening.
I went back to Faith to walk the labyrinth, with a booklet listing scriptures for each of the 10 stations; at each station, there was something to actually touch--a crown of thorns, a basin of water (for Pilate washing his hands when condemning Jesus to death), a robe and a Roman soldier's helmet, chains and a sword (for Jesus' arrest), and the final station was a huge wooden cross, draped in purple, at the center of the labyrinth.
After I walked this, I wasn't quite ready to leave, so I went into the sanctuary and read the crucifixion stories from each of the gospels.
Then out for a bite of dinner, and to St. George's, where we read the Passion Gospel from John, prayed the solemn collects, and venerated the cross. The last hymn is sung kneeling, and all the lights in the church are extinguished. This one night, all of the ministers and choir only wear their black cassocks, which adds to the solemnity and darkness appropriate for this day.
Tomorrow is a baking day (a breakfast casserole and bunny buns) and getting set up for the choir breakfast at St. George's. Then I've got to make a cake for Easter dinner, but I'll do the green bean casserole on Sunday.
Also, tomorrow would have been Darrell's 55th birthday, so I'll be taking flowers to the cemetery for him, and for Easter too, for Mother and Daddy.
A quiet day--Jesus is in the tomb, and it bears being reflective.
I went back to Faith to walk the labyrinth, with a booklet listing scriptures for each of the 10 stations; at each station, there was something to actually touch--a crown of thorns, a basin of water (for Pilate washing his hands when condemning Jesus to death), a robe and a Roman soldier's helmet, chains and a sword (for Jesus' arrest), and the final station was a huge wooden cross, draped in purple, at the center of the labyrinth.
After I walked this, I wasn't quite ready to leave, so I went into the sanctuary and read the crucifixion stories from each of the gospels.
Then out for a bite of dinner, and to St. George's, where we read the Passion Gospel from John, prayed the solemn collects, and venerated the cross. The last hymn is sung kneeling, and all the lights in the church are extinguished. This one night, all of the ministers and choir only wear their black cassocks, which adds to the solemnity and darkness appropriate for this day.
Tomorrow is a baking day (a breakfast casserole and bunny buns) and getting set up for the choir breakfast at St. George's. Then I've got to make a cake for Easter dinner, but I'll do the green bean casserole on Sunday.
Also, tomorrow would have been Darrell's 55th birthday, so I'll be taking flowers to the cemetery for him, and for Easter too, for Mother and Daddy.
A quiet day--Jesus is in the tomb, and it bears being reflective.