I went down at the crack of dawn this morning to gauge the angle and position of the sun. As the new minister on the block, I suggested an ecumenical sunrise service and, of course, got landed with the job of organising it!
It was interesting trying to convince a church committee (and especially a retired minister) that given that the sun comes up in the east on the equator (at the equinox), the position of the sunrise in Cowes should be just north of east on our horizon, over the water.
You see, Cowes (on Phillip Island in Victoria) faces north onto a bay and people couldn't believe the sun could be seen from the point I was proposing for our Easter Dawn service ... at the Jetty. Having a sunrise service in Cowes had never been done before. This morning (Saturday) I went down again to check again the position and location for our ecumenical gathering on Sunday (6.15 am dawn). The weather was lovely, the company (fishermen, a photographer and morning walkers) were great. The sun came up predictably at the precise position I thought it would at the precise time (6.42 am). The photographer got his shots, and I took in again the atmosphere what perhaps it will be like tomorrow morning when we gather together to welcome the sun rise.
Let's just hope the weather behaves itself! <grin>
Living in Cowes has been for me a breath of fresh air. It is a seaside resort community with retirees, weekenders and tourists, as well as a healthy mix of other folk (young and old) with suburban, rural or city backgrounds.
We have a very committed Inter-Church council in which the ministers and church representatives work closely together ... and this is remarkable considering the wide span of denominational representation: Anglican, Baptist, Catholic, Uniting, and Apostolic Faith (Pentecostal).
This year, each church hosted a service of one kind or another during Holy Week. On Maundy Thursday (after our respective "Last Supper" communion services) the Anglican Church was opened up for people to come and go between 9pm-12 MDT for a time of silence and prayer, the only light in the church being the candles that people lit and held in their hands, or placed in a font of sand. An overwhelming experience of silence, reflecting upon Jesus' hours of prayer with his disciples in the Garden of Gethsame. Overwhelming too, considering that not only was the altar stripped, but everything in the chancel and front area of the sanctuary ... even the organ had disappeared! "It was night" ... and truly dark.
Yesterday (after our respective 9 am Good Friday services - the hour of Jesus crucifixion), church people and ministers gathered in the gardens of the Cowes Cultural Centre for a processional walk through the town (Way of the Cross), stopping and praying at different points along the way significant to the community: the supermarket, the hospital, the jetty, the war memorial, the video shop, the post office finishing up at the fountain garden forecourt near the library. Eight stations in all.
Reading and reflecting on the story of Christ's suffering took on a poignant note, when carrying the cross and walking through town, rubbing shoulders with the hustle and bustle of tourists and local folk going about their daily business. I thought of Jesus carrying his cross through the streets of Jerusalem on the way to his death. The noise of the streets was deafening ... yet the quiet of the garden (our last station, remembering Jesus' burial) was something else.
The police had forgotten to show up, so my Anglican colleague and I ended up with the business of holding traffic at bay ... as Cross, children, young people, older people, clergy, wheelchairs and walkers passed from one side of the street to the next. We looked a pretty sight: he wore a black shirt and I wore white, with hands outstretched to guard the traffic and to guard the Way of the Cross.
Last year the Inter-Church Council held its usual annual Easter Parade. But they were ready for a change. Newcomers to our Inter-Church Council (and Christian community in Cowes), made some helpful suggestions which has resulted in daily ecumenical events throughout the week. The only exception, of course, being Holy Saturday.
So here I am writing to you on the Sabbath (Holy Saturday), thinking of Jesus' death and resurrection.
And thinking of my church friends and colleagues around the traps here in Oz and abroad.
Easter Blessings & Shalom,
John M.
Christ has died - Christ is Risen! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ John Maynard <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> PO Box 600, Cowes VIC 3922 Australia ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ To subscribe to Worship-RCL send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the body of the message type: subscribe worship-rcl Your Name ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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