Holy Week and Easter
I might post a coherent response to the past week at some point but after 21 hours up on 2 hours sleep (and 5 hours lying awake - going to bed earlier is a fine theory but doesn't work if you then fail to sleep), plus some quantity of alcohol, coherence is probably too much to expect. But I'm still bouncing.
The Easter Vigil was wonderful. The previous days were good too (although in a different way) and the whole think just works. When I think back to last Sunday morning and processing from Laundress Green with our palms: What we've done; where we've gone in that time. It just brings it home. One service can't do that. The joy of Easter is made more real by having gone through Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. The stripped altar, empty aumbry, empty stoup, veneration of the cross, the waiting, mean that when the Gloria comes at the First Mass it's amazing.
In fact the whole day's been great. Even the hurried rehearsals for High Mass didn't detract too much and we got through. Two new servers (one acolyte, one torchbearer) and complicating processions is a poor combination. But is was good.
There's something bizarre and yet right about drinking buck's fizz at quarter to seven in the morning and then drinking champagne. Lunch (interrupted for Evensong) was great too. Lovely people, mad and deep conversations and just much fun.
But I must calm down and sleeeeeeeeeeeeep
The Easter Vigil was wonderful. The previous days were good too (although in a different way) and the whole think just works. When I think back to last Sunday morning and processing from Laundress Green with our palms: What we've done; where we've gone in that time. It just brings it home. One service can't do that. The joy of Easter is made more real by having gone through Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. The stripped altar, empty aumbry, empty stoup, veneration of the cross, the waiting, mean that when the Gloria comes at the First Mass it's amazing.
In fact the whole day's been great. Even the hurried rehearsals for High Mass didn't detract too much and we got through. Two new servers (one acolyte, one torchbearer) and complicating processions is a poor combination. But is was good.
There's something bizarre and yet right about drinking buck's fizz at quarter to seven in the morning and then drinking champagne. Lunch (interrupted for Evensong) was great too. Lovely people, mad and deep conversations and just much fun.
But I must calm down and sleeeeeeeeeeeeep