Friday

Annual Parochial Church Meeting in Holne coincides with Red-nose day – another interesting situation bequeathed to us by former rector. Try to enter into spirit of the day by walking around in suitably ridiculous looking red and white Viking hat adorned with red noses. Raise a few eyebrows, and the odd smile, and then am totally overwhelmed by very generous unsolicited donation from local petrol station, when I stop to refill the tank. Makes it all worthwhile.

Monday

Take husband out for lunch and a movie as it’s his birthday. Explore second-hand bookshops in the Barbican looking for his favourite authors. Come away with a bagful for him and the first three volumes of a fantasy series called the Sword of Truth for me. Sounds vaguely biblical, so thought it might do for post-Easter holiday reading.

Saturday

End of busy week with three more APCM’s, a Chapter meeting, wedding preparation sessions, last minute planning for Good Friday Workshop, and an unhealthy amount of administrative frustration. Find it hard to get into the right spirit for Holy Week and make determined effort to focus on the wood rather than the trees.

Sunday

Helped by the tradition of reading the whole of the Passion Narrative - the story of the last week in Jesus’ life, at the service on Palm Sunday - an excellent way of starting Holy Week. A reminder of what Easter is really about – a reminder of a story of human courage and relationship which leads beyond the mundane, beyond suffering, beyond day-to-day frustrations, fears, disappointments and betrayals, to universal truth and life. A story of death by which to live.

Tuesday

Confused feelings about having to consult on church gutters in the middle of Holy Week, and the problems of balancing maintenance with ministry and mission. After evening prayer and the calming rhythm of the ancient psalms, realise that the maintenance of our churches is only worth it if they are actually used for what they were intended – as houses of prayer.

Easter Sunday

Give thanks for what turned out, after all, to be a good Holy Week and Easter, following the story of Jesus, through the last supper, the washing of feet, and the silent watch on Maundy Thursday; then through the arrest, trial and crucifixion on Good Friday, to the waiting time of Holy Saturday and the celebration of renewed light and life as Sunday dawns with fire and joy, and singing. Easter last year felt a bit lonely, this year it was good to share it not only with new friends in the team, but with more folk in the pews as well.

Wednesday

Invited to attend murder mystery party in village as glamorous American actress. Spend day practising accent and desperately searching wardrobe for something suitable to wear, as “low-cut and sensuous” isn’t part of my normal clergy attire. Try to enter into spirit of occasion, much to amusement of other guests, especially when it turns out in the course of the evening that my character first came to fame as a porn star, and had been in the victim’s bed on the night of the murder. The only saving grace was that I wasn’t actually the murderer. Glad that this story of death and intrigue isn’t one I have to live by, although it may take some living down amongst those members of the congregation who were party to the goings on.

Saturday

Watch and wait with millions of others as Pope John Paul approaches death. It strikes home that here is one who has lived his whole life within the ancient story of God his people, one who has walked in the footsteps of Jesus and his disciples, and tried to enter into the spirit of that story. And even if it seems that he didn’t always get everything right, it has given him the power and the strength to face death with dignity and without fear. Those among the news reporters who don’t understand the story, have no context in which to deal with what is happening - and the fact that the faithful are praying, not for the Pope’s recovery, but for a good death that they know will lead to life.

Sunday

In church, in the house of prayer, in the house of the story, give thanks for all those who have kept that story alive, and shown us how to live by it.

Corynne   14/4/05

Copyright © 2005 Corynne Cooper.

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