Today’s Easter Morning service at All Saints, Basingstoke was a fantastic spectacle to be part of, though I feel my feet never touched the ground.
I was serving as candle bearer (starting with taking the Easter Fire and sharing it among the congregation), helped with asperging as we renewed baptism vows, read the Epistle, helped with the sermon and then got hauled back up to be given a small send off!
There wasn’t really a chance to worship unfortunately, simply because there was so much to do, but I definitely felt loved!
I shall look forward to returning after Licensing to prove I’ve done it.
My thanks to everyone at All Saints, Basingstoke for making me feel so welcome – I shall miss you all.
Grace is (I think) a Fresh Expression of church and here’s their version of an Easter Fire, done ‘properly’ starting before midnight on Holy Saturday and with a very cool fire box:
http://jonnybaker.blogs.com/jonnybaker/2009/04/easter-vigil-worship-trick-.html