Holy Week / Easter 2008...

...A Holy Week and Easter Sunday with a difference this year! Due to Easter being so early it meant that Holy Week fell within the Ridley term. This doesn't happen very often so it was decided it should be marked in style with a series of services and events over the whole week. Morning prayer each day with a series of talks from Richard Bauckham on 'the pattern of the cross in Genesis' and optional daily Holy Communion services. Then a really poignant and special series of services:
Maundy Thursday - a dramatic, lively, funny, meaningful all age ceder (agape) service / meal, and a far quieter, extremely moving footwashing / chapel stripping service later in the evening;
Good Friday - thought provoking morning prayer with various Crucifixion images and then an amazingly creative, well thought out 'liquid worship style' Stations of the Cross service making use of all kinds of things: handcuffs (!), music, artwork, film, hammers and nails, clay and much more besides;
Holy Saturday - an impressive performance of the Passion story put on by people from various Cambridge churches in the town centre in nightmare-ish weather conditions unfortunately;
Easter Sunday - just a fantastic time, starting pre-dawn with a vigil from 5am (even Lisa made it into college with me for this) and going on to include lighting a fire; processing to chapel behind the Easter 'paschal' candle; remembrance and renewal of baptismal vows and promises; music such as Eastern Orthodox style chants, Taize music, trad Easter hymns, modern worship songs, all done amazingly well; celebration of Holy Communion; all of which was then followed by 'optional' sparkling wine, a fry up and then a snowball fight (not sure I ever remember an Easter snowball fight before)! Just an amazing celebration of the risen Christ!

Like I say - a Holy Week and Easter Sunday with a difference, a time I will never forget. I feel more than ever this year that I've been taken on an incredible journey of remembrance of, and focus on, the amazingness of the Easter story and what God has done for us all in Christ - in a way that's made it all more real and more meaningful than ever for me. Alleluia, Christ is Risen - He is risen indeed, Alleluia!!

Here's a few photo's - though unfortunately I've only got a selection from the Saturday passion play and Easter Day celebrations:

Holy Saturday

Getting Ridley chapel ready for Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday