Sunday, April 16, 2006

The strife is o'er (or something like that)

Just home, from the final service...one of four today, and the culmination of a week of such intensity that I'm left breathless, light-headed with relief that we've all actually stayed the course, and profoundly grateful that Easter Monday is still a public holiday in the UK, and I have nothing whatever that has to be done.
Highlights of today included the warmth of that habitually private and introspective group, the 8.00 congregation - many of whom positively purred with pleasure when we gave them Easter eggs to take home...the fact that my 10.00 sermon actually felt OK when I preached it, despite my fear that I'd said everything I could possibly say about John 19 long since (St Mary's, frustratingly, always uses this gospel on Easter Sunday, regardless of the Lectionary).....and the way the children at our 11.30 Family service were so genuinely intent as we lit their candles from the Paschal flame. We ended that service with a kind of whole-body Amen, which clearly appealed to one toddler hugely, as he was still practising it and yelling Amen at the top of his voice as he made his way down the road afterwards...a happy vision!
And, despite everything, the assorted wooden and blown eggs found their way safely onto our "Easter tree" in time for lunch, and cava was drunk to celebrate the end of a dry Lent for the Clockmaker, and chocolate and hugs exchanged.
And now Evensong is done and dusted too, and WonderfulVicar is away for a week's holiday, and it's a low pressure week all round, with only a funeral, a wedding and a couple of Baptisms rippling the surface. And it all feels absolutely wonderful! I rather think I might sleep long and deeply tonight.
Do hope you're all relaxing too.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Easter Blessings Kathryn - I kept my resolution to stay away from Christian blogs (there was too much making me cross on some) so I've only now been looking back over your week.

Have a quiet week.

Paul

Anonymous said...

Hope this never catches on ... but did you know that in Finland the Lutheran churches have a morning service (10am) on Easter Monday... called Second day of Easter or something.