So today is/was the last Sunday of Easter, as next Sunday is the Feast of Pentecost.Before the Service Nick read the Ascension Day Sonnet by Malcolm Guite, from “Sounding the Seasons.”
Since it was also Holy Communion Sunday the children and I gathered on the dining room floor after the reading of the Gospel and worked on our projects until the exciting moment when Nick invited them to bring in the bread for the Eucharist, which we had baked (and frozen!) a few weeks ago.For our activity I had prepared templates of the Church Year. We talked about the difference between the way the Church Year is laid out (in a circle) and a secular calendar (in pages, with squares). I pray that, even if it was not expressed in so man words, the children had a sense of the beautiful way the Church Year revolves in a never-ending cycle, down through the ages, instead of needing to be tossed away on December 31st, like our yearly wall calendars! After our discussion we all coloured in the various sections and they embellished theirs with “symbols” for each season (I particularly liked the snowman, for Christmas “because that section is white”, good common sense!!)We joined the whole congregation for Communion and even all the babies came in so we had a lively time!
Once home and after a quick lunch, I tackled some more Campanula and then Wil and I headed for our afternoon walk. Even in this residential neighbourhood I was struck afresh at the “busyness” of Sunday. Not that an “enforced” Sabbath was ever likely to increase the number of truly committed Believers, but, really there is no longer any “Day of Rest” as all of us tend to rush around doing much of the same thing we do every other day.
I was just as guilty of breaking Sabbath today, since in all the activities of yesterday I had neglected to purchase ingredients to make a beverage for tonight’s SYC Bible Study, and thus had to slink into the CO-OP; fortunately the Lord did not choose to “smite” me!!Most Sundays I am able to avoid the world of commerce and the day is truly set aside as The Lord’s Day but it is sad to reflect that for much of society it is simply an extra day forshopping, going to the gym and working!