General Chat

I don't know about that but I do know what I like and find inspiring

Thankyou Errol. I have googled Ghislaine Howard's exhibition 'Stations of the Cross' and Lichfield Cathredral. Unlike JLC, I have to admit I knew nothing of the cathedral and was fascinated to read about this beautiful gothic building with three spires.

How fortunate you are to be close enough to visit - I feel quite envious :-)

http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/easter/maundythursday.htm
Maundy Thursday


http://christianity.about.com/od/easter/qt/maundythursday.htm
Derived from the Latin word mandatum, meaning "commandment," Maundy refers to the commands Jesus gave his disciples at the Last Supper: to love with humility by serving one another and to remember his sacrifice.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-21969710
The Queen has presented coins to elderly people who have worked hard for their community at the Royal Maundy Service held in Oxford.

She was joined by the Duke of Edinburgh in Christ Church cathedral to distribute the coins in a tradition which dates back hundreds of years.

Eighty seven men and 87 women, to mark the Queen's 87th year, were given two purses of money, one red and one white.

The red purse contained a £5 coin and a 50p coin commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Queen's coronation in 1953.

The white purse held the famous Maundy money, silver one, two, three and four penny pieces equal to 87 pence.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21963105
Pope Francis has washed the feet of prisoners in a youth detention centre near Rome as part of the Maundy Thursday service.

The Christian ritual takes place on the Thursday before Easter to commemorate Christ's Last Supper.

I have been to a Maundy Thursday service in our cathedral Joy - it was about 7 years ago.

It was a wonderful experience. I have been in the cathedral hundreds of times but, I have to admit, I have never felt such an atmosphere before. Despite there being 2000 people present, you could have heard a pin drop.


The sound of the Beefeaters coming down the main aisle , knocking their staves on the floor, sent absolutely shivers through you and, when the tiny Queen emerged through the great west doors the whole place was filled with the most immense atmosphere. It was just incredible.


Tonight I went to our own Maundy Thursday service. No great crowds like the cathedral, but a very moving service all the same.

At the end of the service, the altar is stripped of all it's 'trappings'. The cross, candlesticks, silver and linen are removed and we are left with just the bare wood.

The clergyman who celebrated the communion, removed his chasuble and the choir removed their white surplices, leaving them in their dark cassocks. We stood and stared at the unadorned chancel as the story of Maundy Thursday was read to us.

When the service ended, the choir and clergy filed silently out and people left quietly, their heads filled with what they had just heard and witnessed.


Tomorrow, we will gather at 2pm to remember the Crucifixion.

I knew very little about Maundy Thursday myself till Joy posted and Cynthia reponded. I knew the Queen gave these coins, but had never understood the significance. And Francis washing the feet of the prisoners near Rome is truly inspiring.

Today marks the blackest of days in the Christian calendar.

So many thoughts run through my mind.

1. The earliest of hymnwriters - the Independent Minister from Hampshire Isaac Watts (1674-1748) - wrote "When I survey the wondrous cross". They did survey it then - really meditated on the significance for mankind and for them personally.
2. Caiphas and Annas (Chief Priest of the Jews and his son in law) could have had Jesus put to death. But not by crucifixion, which was a Roman punishment and could only be delivered by Pontius Pilate.
3. They must have known the Old Testament predictions that the Jewish Messiah will be "crucified" and "lifted high when he dies". None of their punishments (stoning, for example) would have fulfilled their scriptures!!
4. They refused to enter Pilate's praetorium as they were in the midst of passover celebrations and would have been defiled by a gentile.
5. They woke Pilate early that Friday. 5am, maybe even earlier. And had arranged a mob of supporters at that unearthly hour.
6. Were crucified felons part of the annual sport every Friday of the Passover festivals in Jerusalem? Was it part of that sport that one of the felons was always granted their freedom that day? Or was Barabbas a "one off"?

Good Friday has always been the most challenging day of the Christian Year for me. God Friday to be accurate, God dead for 3 days. And Sunday is such a blessed relief - like a ton of bricks lifted and we can once again see hope, new life. And, most important of all, death had been conquered in accordance with Old Testament and in accordance with the preaching of Jesus. And guess who realised first why the tomb was bare? Not John, not Peter, not the Virgin Mary. No, Mary Magdalene, the simplest and most sinful of Christ's followers :-) :-)

This is an article I read some years ago but I cannot remember where. Anyway, it meant a lot to me - so, I copied & pasted it on 'Word' for future reference. Seems appropriate for me to re-post it here today. See what you think.
---------------------------------------------------------

Death of an innocent.

After a night in a filthy dungeon, the prisoner was bound & led away to the governor for sentence. Tired & exhausted, the prisoner was made to stand as he was questioned.

The judge, despite recognising his innocence, nevertheless released a well known terrorist in order to please the mob who demanded the detainee’s execution.

The victim was taken, tied to a post with his wrists high over his head. A leather whip lacerated the taut skin on his back till the flesh was torn and the bones & organs were exposed. The ‘convict’ was then stripped, clothed in kingly robes, crowned with twisted thorns wedged onto his head & then mocked. Then he was led away carrying a rugged Roman cross.

Weakened after the beating & stumbling under the sheer weight, nobody offered to help him. Not one blind person whom he had healed previously, not one cured leper, nor a lame person who had been given the strength to walk, helped. Not even someone from the miraculously fed crowd came forward.

A foreigner was eventually compelled to take the beams as the prisoner was led to the ‘Place of Skull’. There, soldiers hammered thick nails into his hands & his feet - the cross was then lifted, suspending him between Heaven & earth, with a cursing criminal on each side.

Jesus was crucified. His only covering was blood, spittle & dust. Even the religious & political leaders howled abuse at him. Outstretched & in excruciating pain, God laid the sin of the world on Jesus. The ugliness of the scene could not portray what Jesus, the perfect Son of God, endured as he paid the punishment for the wrong doing of men & women. There is a sense in which each one of us was there when they crucified Jesus, because it was our sin that Christ was bearing on his own body on that tree.

Next day, the body of Jesus was taken down from the cross. It had been wrapped in clean linen cloth & was laid in a new tomb hewn out of rock. A stone sealed the entrance & a guard of soldiers made sure his body could not be tampered with or stolen. Jesus’ body lay cold & still in the grave.

Jesus’ disciples were distraught. They had been with Christ for three years & had seen an absolutely perfect life. He never apologised or needed to. He was God manifest in the flesh. The disciples still had not grasped God’s master plan to bring men & women to know him.

All our wrong, which God calls ‘sin’, has cut us off from him. This can only lead us to hell. But, God sent Christ to be the Saviour of the world. Jesus loved us so much that he went through the agonising suffering of the cross, making a way to bring people back to himself.

Early on the following morning, two women went to the tomb. They were presented with the astounding news that Jesus’ body was not there. Jesus had done what no ordinary human being could do - Jesus had risen from the dead. God was showing the world that he had accepted Jesus as the substitute & sacrifice for sin & could give forgiveness & new life to all who will turn from sin & trust him.

Over the following few weeks, Jesus was to show himself risen & alive to many different types of people in various settings. More than 500 people saw Jesus alive after his death.

Today, Christ is in his honoured place in Heaven. Anybody who in their fear will come to him, to receive pardon for the past & a new life for the future will find him to be a friend who never leaves or forsakes them.

He died for you & me. He will receive you as his own if you will trust him now. You can know God in life, through death & for eternity if you will repent & by faith believe the good news. Ask him now to become your Lord & Saviour forever.

Happy Easter.

At my previous church, the vicar used to wash the feet of three people. They were usually folk who had been confirmed that year.

It was done very simply with no fuss but was extremely moving to watch.


For the last two years at my present church, we have had hand-washing. We simply moved to the front of church, dipped our fingers into a bowl held by a member of the congregation and had them dried by another.

It was explained that foot-washing was normal in the culture of biblical times because of the dusty roads and servants would wash your feet before you ate your meal.

In our culture today, hand hygiene is very much to the fore and we are encouraged to wash our hands before meals. Just a slight variation on the same theme.

We are having our Good Friday service at 2pm.

Dermot thank you. I feel it very appropriate for you to post today.

Happy Easter to you all.

Emma

Tremendous post, Dermot.

I just regret that for so many years of my life I approached the merits of Jesus in a similar way to Pontius Pilate. That is, "Jesus, you seem a good and honest man but you will not delude me into giving up my career, my Governor's palace or my Roman gods to follow your austere lifestyle".

"My conscience tells me I do some bad things, but I enjoy them rather and have no intention of giving any of them up" :-(

Dermot, we double posted. :-)


Thank you so much for that posting. As Emma has said, it's extremely appropriate for you to post it today and I'm very grateful that you have.


It brought some new thoughts to mind about all the people Jesus had healed/fed/helped, not coming forward to help Him in His hour of need.


Humble thanks to you.

Dermot thank you for posting that. A lot of food for thought.

Same as Cynthia, we had a 2pm service today. Three members of our congregation read passages from John 18 and John 19 and then said a few heartfelt words about what the passage meant to them. Very homegrown, very natural, very moving.

As we approached 3pm, all the lights were turned off and the candles were extinguished and we sat in silence and relative darkness looking at the large Cross at the front of the chapel. He did that for me.

Have just returned from the Good Friday service and am a bit disappointed if truth be told :-(


Our vicar is off sick due to having a cataract operation and the organist and Lay Reader put the service together. It was okay to a point but consisted almost entirely of music from Stainer's Crucifixion.

I know it's a wonderful piece of music etc and the choir did magnificently well but, they didn't include any traditional hymns like 'There is a green hill far away' etc. and there wasn't any time for personal contemplation. In fact, far too 'busy' for such a solemn service. :-(

Holy Saturday. The most holy of nights.

We held a short vigil service to celebrate the resurrection. Very quiet with readings and prayers. We were given candles which were lit from the paschal candle during the service and the light was passed round. We renewed our baptism vows.

Tomorrow we celebrate in a more exuberant way........ :-D :-D

He IS risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia!!!


A very happy Easter to you all.


<3

St John Chapter 20 (World English Bible):

But Mary (Magdalene) was standing outside at the tomb weeping. So, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb, and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. They told her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”

She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I don’t know where they have laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, and didn’t know that it was Jesus.

Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?”

She, supposing him to be the gardener, said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”

Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned and said to him, “Rhabbouni!” which is to say, “Teacher!”

Jesus said to her, “Don’t touch me, for I haven’t yet ascended to my Father; but go to my brothers, and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had said these things to her. When therefore it was evening, on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were locked where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be to you.”

Comment: Mary Magdalene went to the empty tomb on that first Sunday when it was still dark. She was the first person to realise WHY it was empty. Therefore Mary Magdalene became the apostle to the apostles that first day. The first to realise why we give eggs, roll eggs and eat eggs today. It is new life. She understood that death needed no longer to be the enemy of mankind.

And it is why Christians celebrate every Sunday. It is why Sunday is the start of the Christian week.

He is risen indeed.

A very happy Easter to all of those who contribute to this thread and those who enjoy reading it. :-) :-) :-)

A Happy Easter to those of Faith <3

Happy Easter to you all.

Emma :-)

Lord Of The Dance (Sydney Carter).

I danced in the morning when the world was young
I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun
I came down from heaven and I danced on the earth
At Bethlehem I had my birth

Dance, dance, wherever you may be
I am the lord of the dance, said he
And I lead you all, wherever you may be
And I lead you all in the dance, said he

I danced for the scribes and the Pharisees
They wouldn't dance, they wouldn't follow me
I danced for the fishermen James and John
They came with me so the dance went on

Dance, dance, wherever you may be
I am the lord of the dance, said he
And I lead you all, wherever you may be
And I lead you all in the dance, said he

I danced on the Sabbath and I cured the lame
The holy people said it was a shame
They ripped, they stripped, they hung me high
Left me there on the cross to die

Dance, dance, wherever you may be
I am the lord of the dance, said he
And I lead you all, wherever you may be
And I lead you all in the dance, said he

I danced on a Friday when the world turned black
It's hard to dance with the devil on your back
They buried my body, they thought I was gone
But I am the dance, and the dance goes on

Dance, dance, wherever you may be
I am the lord of the dance, said he
And I lead you all, wherever you may be
And I lead you all in the dance, said he

They cut me down and I leapt up high
I am the life that will never, never die
I'll live in you if you'll live in me
I am the Lord of the dance, said he

Dance, dance, wherever you may be
I am the lord of the dance, said he
And I lead you all, wherever you may be
And I lead you all in the dance, said he.

A Happy Easter to all of you. :-)