Rush Sunday

Yesterday I attended Pentecost services with Pat, my Rotary counselor, at St. Mary Redcliff- a church in Bristol once visited by Elizabeth I and declared by Queen Victoria to be the most beautiful church in all of Christendom.  So yeah a pretty special place.  The added bonus is that the service I attended included the annual visit of the church by the Lord Mayor of Bristol, a tradition dating back 515 years.  Its adjusted slightly in our modern age from multiple sermons to just one and I'm fairly certain they would not have had video feed at the first service, but the pomp and circumstance of the event remains.  The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress arrived in their police escorted carriage drawn by 3 black stallions, all the civic officials plus all the clergy were decked out in their official regalia.  Rushes (straw/hay) was laid down the center aisle as it would have been in the 15th century.  The civic leaders were supplied with herb and flower posies, a tradition that harkens back to the need to keep the stench of the masses from the elite's nostrils.  The choir, which I'm fairly certain was all male, sang translations of Latin verse.  The sunny day was perfect, illuminating the vaulted ceilings and brilliant stained glass.  The smells, sounds, sights created such an overwhelming sensorial experience.  The event has taken on an exclusive status in modern times... tickets being issued to secure available seating so it was I was lucky to be able to attend.  The photos are from the arrival of the Lord Mayor and then the wine reception that followed the service in the garden.  Sorry no photos from the inside of the church... that just didn't feel appropriate.  

An additional note about the sermon.  The words lived up to the occasion.  The ginger haired ponytail bearing priest spoke of the need to recognize the value of differences within our ideas of community.  Using the traditional lectionary (OT:  Tower of Babel and NT: Pentecost event), he remarked that by valuing the stranger we become better able to be ourselves and embrace our own uniqueness.  He considered the idea that Pentecost was the NT companion to the story of the Tower of Babel, but that it also was not the complete reversal of God's actions.  Instead of restoring a common language, God created unity by embracing the differences that had been created.  So a good civic and Christian message.  

Just, Margaret

P.S. Spent some time looking over my June schedule this morning and realized I am really busy.  Out of Bristol for a week with a dig, another week away with cousins, then a week back in Bristol showing them around the West Country, plus two Rotary Club meetings to attend.  I'm sure it will be a fun/exciting month, but I'm also sure I won't have a chance to post often... maybe just once a week.  I just thought you all deserved fair warning.  Hope your Junes are as exciting.