• We’ve a feast on our hands

  30/05/2013

  

  We’ve a feast on our hands today at St Mary’s. Today is a day set apart in the calendar of our church on which Christians may give especial thanks for the institution of Holy Communion. It is the very last of the festivals whose date changes according to Easter. Because Easter was early this year, so today, Corpus Christi is earlier than it often is too.

  Corpus Christi is related to Holy Week in another way too. The day on which Communion was instituted in the church is Maundy Thursday. That’s when we remember the Last Supper in the Upper Room. The Last Supper is perhaps confusingly the First Communion.  (Or at least it is if you discount the other eucharistic meals in the gospels where Jesus breaks bread and shares it, such as the feeding of the five thousand). Maundy Thursday though is a day when we’ve got so much to think about and so much going on that we tend not to think about the supper itself. We get so quickly caught up in the story of Jesus’s arrest in the garden, trial and crucifixion the next day that we don’t have much time to ponder, or indeed, celebrate, the meal itself.

  Hence, Corpus Christi. We get the chance today to rejoice in the meal.

  I used to go across to celebrate Corpus Christi in Edinburgh with Fr Kevin Pearson. Sometimes we would make it a trip for servers and other hangers on. Indeed, on one ocassion, Fr Kevin invited me to preach. When Fr Kevin became Bishop Kevin a couple of years ago, I decided to have a go a reviving the feast in the west and started to celebrate it in Glasgow. And today, I’ve asked Bishop Kevin to come and preach at it.

  It is a fairly complicated, wizz-bang kind of liturgy with much to think about. However, the essential ideas are easy to grasp. Firstly that God is really present when the Eucharist is celebrated. Secondly that God comes amongst God’s people and walks with them. Thirdly that it is OK to be joyful and happy. Indeed, joy is at the core of what we do.

  So, Corpus Christi.  A sermon from Bishop Kevin. Flower scattered (no, strewn!) before the Lord of Heaven and Earth. The glorious Vierne Messe Solonnelle from the choir. And joy for everyone.

  Kick off 7.30 pm. All welcome.

  [There’s a facebook event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/467625339986048/ if you want to invite facebook friends)

  Bishop of Argyll and The Isles, Corpus Christi, Kevin Pearson

Previous Posts

• O Oriens

  21/12/2005

  O dawn of the East, brightness of light eternal, and Sun of Justice: come, and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. Amen. Thousands of people are reported to have applied for tickets to see the winter solstice sun shine into the Newgrange tomb this week. (20 tickets only are…

• Priests Alarming

  21/12/2005

  Here is one of the pieces that was read at the first Civil Partnership ceremony in Edinburgh yesterday. It is by Walt Whitman.WE two boys together clinging,One the other never leaving,Up and down the roads going—North and South excursions making,Power enjoying—elbows stretching—fingers clutching,Arm’d and fearless—eating, drinking, sleeping, loving,No law less than ourselves owning—sailing, soldiering, thieving,…

• Civil Partnerships

  20/12/2005

  It was quite touching to see the first Civil Partnerships being registered today in Edinburgh. Rather more dignified than the goings on in Belfast yesterday. Interesting to compare the contribution of the churches to this. Over the water, Ian Paisley’s lot turned out in force to shout pretty vile slogans at the couples going to…

• Photos

  20/12/2005

  Well, did you like the twigs (see below) or not? I’m not going to post to a new photoblog in the new year if no-one is interested.