Holy Week, Batman!

was the title of this week's RevGals "Friday Five"...I couldn't bring myself to play, though, because at our ecumenical lunch on Friday we'd discussed how many services we were all doing and discovered that St M's was the clear winner, with (I think) 19 acts of corporate worship being offered within our doors between today and bedtime on Easter Sunday.
At the Parish Eucharist this morning, FabVicar talked the congregation through the week ahead and, if I'm honest, I felt like crying by the time he had detailed it all.

• Tomorrow we have Stations of the Cross

• Tuesday is an Iona service

• Wednesday a Passover Seder

• Thursday is, of course, the Eucharist of the Last Supper plus foot washing and Watch (and we'll also hie ourselves to the Cathedral in the morning, to renew our ordination vows)
  

• Friday has a Eucharist, Ecumenical Walk of Witness and the Three Hours Devotion - plus a concert of Passiontide music
  

• Saturday the Vigil, Service of Light, Baptism and Communion and

• Sunday Eucharists at 8.00 and 10.00, plus Family Service at 11.30 and Evensong at 6.30

Alongside this, the Daily Office will continue, plus one or two extras like the Mother's Union Corporate Communion on Tuesday...

It does look a Bit Too Much from here - but then today looked horrific in advance, but was utterly wonderful.
Dramatised Passion at the 10.00 this morning - it was all good, but I was brought to tears when one of our teenagers emerged from the congregation with these words

'Why is everyone so frightened? You only have to look
at him,
Feel those eyes of Love go deep. I then go weak in
every limb.
His power just takes me over; then I'm brave enough to
shout:
"He'll transform this world of misery. The young who
know, don't doubt

For too long, fear was part of the DNA of St M's, I think. Gradually, we are coming to believe that God not only loves us, but likes us too...

OpenHouse this afternoon was a service based around the trail - some new families, lots of friends and an excellent atmosphere

Instead of Evensong we had music and readings for Passiontide - so I got to share some more poetry, we sang 2 of my funeral hymns ("When I survey" and "And can it be?") and the director of music, God bless him, managed the whole thing without a single reference to Stainer's Crucifixion

And then...oh then the whole day became really really wonderful...Hugger Steward and I had spent large chunks of yesterday planning an alt worship Eucharist for Koinonia, the senior Youth Group...and from where I was sitting, it all came together quite beautifully.
It wasn't ultra-anything - tea lights, U2 and some basic visuals - but it was a first for us and it worked. After all the hoops that the church with a small "c" has asked those young people to leap through, it seemed good to devise a service around the theme of welcome and hospitality. We made our own naan bread and when the service itself was over, we sat on in the semi darkness and sang while V played guitar.
Whatever else happens this Holy Week, I touched base with what really matters tonight.