Easter hope

In what has been a very difficult week thus the reason for few posts the picture of the Easter garden as St Timothy's Ely cheered me up no end! It is a reminder that Christ is risen no matter how much at times life can be difficult

He is risen indeed!

Easter Monday always bring the joy of the easter egg hunt in the grounds of the old Bishop's Palace. Always a good laugh with many of our sunday school turning up. A wonderful holy week this year with superb preaching all round. Always wonder on the Monday of Holy Week how I will last but it just carries you along. Anyway fame at last due to Dennis the Donkey who with the Dean and myself appears on the BBC website

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/7303888.stm

Good Friday

Maundy Thursday

Food for thought!

http://www.churchinwales.org.uk/monmouth/learning/reading/Bishop%20Chrism08.html

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Holy Week

For my Holy Week reading and reflection this year I am using The Hidden Joy by Sister Jane SLG. It is a collection of her Introduction to the Fairacres Chronicle when she was Reverend Mother. Through the writings the reminder is there time and time again about the distinction between true and false religion. She argues that we must never use our beliefs as a defensive shell again the world. This week just through sheer spiritual exhaustion if not anything else I feel powerfully challenged by the question. How well is our faith integrated into all aspects of our lives or is it just something that we do apart? If we retreat into a holy huddle mentality or just seek to compartmentalise our lives and think we have a spiritual side aside and distinct from the rest of our lives then we are surely doomed. I suppose this extract from the Rule of SLG is one that it is worth reminding ourselves of from time to time

"when the whole being is set on God, hidden joy that is beyond all natural attainment will be found"

Palm Sunday

Having presided and preached at 8 o'clock it was good only to have to assist at the 9 and 10.45 am Eucharists. They certainly all had very different flavours this morning. From the quiet beauty of the 8o'clock the joy of Dennis the Donkey joining us for the Family Eucharist at 9am to the reserved dignity of the 10.45. Very large congregations today which is encouraging and I think that Dennis was a firm favourite at 9 all round.

Time

Time where does it go? I have not posted for a while not because of deliberate laziness but just because I do not seem to have had a minute. Or rather my priorities have been elsewhere. Having recently watch the German and Turkish film Edge of Heaven it brought to mind the fact that time is an important thing and that random coincidences often have far reaching actions. Having not come across any of Fatih Akin work before I would say that his films are amazingly produced with wonderful camera work. It was the first film that I have watched in years that has captivated me. What a shame more mainstreams films were not like this. But I daresay that would require much deeper thought and concentration that the average Hollywood Blockbuster requires!

Journey

In what has been a frantic week in the journey that is life I just offer up the photo above!

Escape to the Country

I headed out yesterday to Llancarfan to preside and preach for the 11am Mothering Sunday Family Eucharist. I have presided intermittently over the last three years. It is always a joy to go back there. I was especially pleased today to see many new faces and not an inconsiderable amount of children in the congregation. It was the first time I have used the Seventh Eucharistic Prayer and I was impressed with it. I claims to have been written for Key Stage 2 Children but I think it would useful to use in any Eucharist. A real joy to give out flowers at the end to the congregation. A blissfully sunny day in comparisson with the terrible weather at the moment!

Some wall paints have also been found in the church underneath the limewash. They are also in the pictures but because they were taken on my mobile phone I do not know if the detail stands out enough!

Funerals and Secularism

Having had My Way several times over the last fortnight at funerals it does give you pause for thought. Very often the first choice that comes over when putting the liturgy together is the secular music that the family would like played. That is not a criticism but an observation. Being one of those who is happy to have secular music at funerals it causes me no problems, often it is the Bible reading that the family are the least interested in and are quite happy to have me pick the reading. I have become more and more convinced the much of the traditional Prayer Book funeral liturgy is completely unsuitable and so instead now I have resorted using combinations of the Joint Liturgical Group Funeral Service and some of the Common Worship Church of England material. I believe that the Church in Wales it due to revive its funeral liturgies soon and hopefully the revisers will come up with something that is more accessible for those who are not church goers. Does anybody else have any thoughts along these lines? Comments please!