Being the first Sunday of the month it was lovely, for once, to partake in Communion on a special feast day (not that having Communion does not make any Sunday a feast day, but it is rare that they coincide at St. Stephen’s.)
Arriving at church I laid out all the supplies for baking Eucharistic Bread, an activity that all the children enjoy and which helps them feel they are making an important contribution to the Service. Sadly, none of them came today so everything had to be packed up again, but it was enjoyable, for a change, to participate in the whole Service and to fulfil my role as chalice bearer. Blair was preaching on Holy Communion and his talk was most interesting and a perfect segue into the Eucharist. In the discussion that followed I was surprised that no one referenced Queen Elizabeth I’s famous poem on the subject, and have promised to email a copy to Blair.
Afterwards, while munching on a sandwich, brought for lunch, I was able to do a bit of recruiting in preparation for next week’s All Ages Gathering, then bundled up and faced a cold bike ride home. At this time of year I love to sing the Hymn “For All the Saints” and usually do so during my raking sessions, but this morning it seemed fit to also sing while riding along.
A couple of days ago I checked into Malcolm Guite’s Blog because, around the date of his next Sounding the Seasons sonnet he always posts a recording of himself reading the piece. Sure enough the All Saints and All Souls sonnets (the final two of the Liturgical Year) are up and well worth a listen here.
And so after raking and a Wil walk through the lanes of NDG, I now await the arrival of Debbie who is joining me for a knitting lesson and supper and then will attend the SYC Bible Study. We are going to have Asian Spiced Kedgeree and Chai and for the Bible Study I’m preparing Mulled Cranberry Juice. While the Bible Study happens in the living room Wil, Mandu and I will be cosy in my studio where I plan to begin a new knitting project of my own!