Walking to a future

Just home from the rehearsal for our Benefice's first wedding of the year, tomorrow, in the church of St. James South Elmham. Nice young couple, and the church is a riot of white flowers - yes - flowers - even though it's Lent. They will be removed for Palm Sunday, so the place will look bare and stark for the close of Passiontide and throughout Holy Week. On Good Friday all the hangings will also be removed, leaving the altar naked until Easter Day. When I posted about making the marmalade for my Coffee Morning tomorrow I had forgotten that I had transferred that event to next Saturday because of the wedding. At least it's now made, and I don't have to worry about it in the midst of the extra services this coming week.

My preparations for this Holy Week are slowly coming together. I lay out the various days on the table in the hall, so that each pile can be picked up as required. At the moment there's a large bag of palm crosses and several service books that will be needed on Sunday. Looking at the Gospel reading I find that I don't like the suggested passages given us by the Revised Common Lectionary for the Passion Gospel. It's either incredibly long, or too short, so I have looked instead at the version in the old 1980 Alternative Service Book, and I think it's much better. So I shall be using that one instead. And since we have the Passion narrative to get through, I don't preach on Palm Sunday. (Sighs of relief from the congregation!) After all, the Gospel says it all, and I don't feel that I need to subject the congregants to more words after that great piece of prose.

And so the journey to Jerusalem begins, leading to stupendous and wondrous events. No doubt tomorrow's wedding couple have similar feelings about their big day.