Reflections on Holy Week

by the Revd Susannah Reide

On Easter morning I woke up early, before dawn, and cycled to Headington Quarry church. People were gathering in the pre-dawn dark in a little woodland by the churchyard. It was too dark to make out faces, but I could see about 20 people gathered together. We prayed and then went up a little hill, where we stood in a large circle. We sang a Taize chant and took it in turns to take a daffodil or tulip, and place them in a big wooden cross. The cross had pre-bored little holes for the flower stems, so that at the end it was full of flowers.

I am describing this to you because it was a beautiful moment in a wonderful Holy Week. There is something very powerful in outside services and I particularly like getting up for the dawn. I can remember other dawn services, including one near the river, swathed in river mist. People gather and are almost unknowable shapes, like dream people. In some ways you are very awake, in some ways it seems like a dream.

At St Mary’s, I appreciated the way that this year the large cross from Good Friday was still standing in the church on Easter Sunday, with a linen cloth draped over the cross arms. The cross was still vividly a part of the joyful Easter Day celebrations.

Many thanks to all the people who worked hard to achieve a prayerful and memorable Holy Week.