Good Friday 2015

I have returned to this abandoned blog after 3 years, and have decided on a different approach, more words - yes exciting I know!
Good Friday 2015 in our Town. The churches in our town have for many years met together at the catholic church and walked down the road, past the market and to the Peace garden by the Town hall behind the cross. This was different in that it was raining – not hard, but slowly, damply, wettingly. It was my task to ensure the mobile PA was ready at the peace garden.
We started at St Joe's , the statue of Christ in their Apse had changed – no longer Christ in glory but now a crucifix, it was appropriate for the day really, a model, an image but one which with imagination took you back there.
We processed out in the last hymn and out onto the main road – the police now advise us to walk on the pavement, I slipped away and walked quickly to the garden to set up the PA, greeting friends in the Community Brass Band who play every year accompanying the hymns.
The first reading was John's account, it always strikes me how simply the gospels, state the fact. “They crucified him” , so spare , so unemotional the words to describe the horror of that barbaric act. They talk about everything else that happens around that perhaps they could bear to dwell on what happened.
The rain continued to fall, our hymn sheets became softer, but we sang well and the band played strongly, the prayer this year were more High Anglican than before, but that is part of the celebration of our Christian life together.
On this occasion, all the churches in our town meet together and worship, all the churches catholic, baptist, C of E, Methodist, the Fellowship all. That is part of what makes this town a good place to be.
On Sunday we will be all in own separate buildings but we will together and in our many differently similar ways celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. After when it all said and done, that is the hope for our world.