This superb banner was made by children at the Children’s Activity Morning last Saturday. Each child made a butterfly to represent the new life of Easter, and they were all stuck to this banner which was hung high above the chancel of the church for Easter Sunday!
This service is one of the most amazing of the church year. The congregation gathers outside the church door, in the gathering gloom of dusk, and the first ancient tradition of the service is to light the new 2012 Paschal (Easter) candle from the flames of a fire.
The candle then leads the congregation into the church, lit by hundreds of candles. This is a stunning visual representation of the light of Easter after the darkness of Good Friday, and the history of St Mary’s from it’s monastic days come flooding in with the candles, incense and choral music makes even more of the moment.
We stop for our first ‘station’ at the back of church, representing the birth of Christ, and everybody lights a candle. We then move further into the church for the second station, an empty cross with nails. hammer and crown of thorns in front of it. Again, more candles are lit.
Then finally to the altar, with the burning incense, and Easter garden in the altar itself depicting the empty tomb. After lighting another candle here, the congregation light their own candle from the Paschal candle and continue with the service.
After the readings, Gospel and a couple of hymns, the congregation move to the font at the church door to renew their Baptism vows. Each person makes the sign of the cross, the sign of Christ, with the Holy water on another person.
During the last hymn, the light outside the East window is lit, which gradually concludes the service of light. An indescribable feeling of new life, surrounds the church and the congregation.
He is Risen!! Alleluia!!
As a reminder, these are the services for Holy Week and Easter:
Monday 2nd – Tuesday 3rd April
7.00pm Compline. A short reflective Service.
Wednesday 4th April
10.00am Holy Communion followed by refreshments
Maundy Thursday 5th April
10.30am Chrism Eucharist (Dewsbury Minster)
7.00pm Passover Meal (Parish Centre). This is a shared meal to reenact the Last Supper. Please let the Vicar know if you are wanting to attend so enough places can be laid out. Also, as this is a shared meal, please bring along an item of food.
Church will be open for quiet prayer from 9-10.00pm
Good Friday 6th April
12.00-3.00pm At the foot of the Cross. A series of reflections – come when you can, go when you must. Followed by refreshments at the Vicarage.
Saturday 7th April
8.30pm Easter Eve reflective service (meet in the Parish Centre)
Easter Sunday 8th April
10.30am All-Age Easter Celebration
12.00pm Holy Communion for Easter
A friend for Charlie and Alice at the All age service this morning!!
What a wonderful All age service this morning. The services were based around Collossians which instead of being read, was given in a much more engaging way using this video:
Even more enjoyable was a new (and highly addictive) new song. Be warned, when you listen to this, you not get it out of your head for the rest of the day, or possibly ever!
This morning the All-Age service was about Christian Aid week. The church was adorned with bunting and balloons (which were taken home by the children!) and the service was all about giving others hope.
We learned through a video about Gustavo, a coffee grower in Nicaragua. With the help of Christian Aid, he, and hundreds of other growers, are able to obtain a fair price for their goods. This has been achieved by becoming part of a co-operative able to continue the processing of the beans.
Please, if you have a collection at your house, make a donation to allow people like Gustavo and his community break out of poverty!
This is the video shown this morning: