Up bright and early to go into church to give it a clean and polish. We must decorate the church today in case he should rise on the morrow as he said he would.
It has been a lovely Holy Week this year. The services have been excellent, not least last night’s singing of Stainer’s Crucifixion by choir and congregation. It is a piece which is not far from being contemporaneous with the building. Both are dated and not quite the shape that they would be if being created today, and both are much loved. The space seemed to come alive as the voices lifted the hymn “All for Jesus” to the heights for a spledid end to Good Friday.
One of the features of Holy Week for me this year has been the amount of leadership and preparation which has been taken on by other people. When I first came here, it felt as though I was carrying a great burden in Holy Week and that just about every decision of any significance would be mine to make. It has not felt like that at all this week. More than once I’ve tried to organize things in connection with Holy Week this year only to be told that it has all been sorted out already. It feels as though the burden is being shared across the community and it has been wonderful to be part of. It is good to see that pattern developing. That is a pattern and a model and a parable for the rest of out life together as a congregation. Its also a hint of resurrection and makes me think that he might rise from the dead tomorrow morning after all.
Better go and prepare the church.
Just in case.
[Jazz and fizz at 1030 if he does, remember]
It is like that at St Mary’s – everybody encouraging others to share what might be a burden and becomes a delight.
I once asked a minister who worked at saving failing churches what one did to save them. ‘Stop people blocking things. Stop blocking things oneself.’ he said. St Mary’s is a singularly unblocked church.