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Moseley Chimes
March 2008
Last year, we revived and developed the Christian Tradition of celebrating the first Eucharist or Mass at Easter on the night of Easter Eve and it was good to have heading towards one hundred people in this celebration. Many Churches in the Diocese including our Cathedral have been doing this, but it’s nothing new. One of the big questions Christians ask is, ‘when did Christ rise? On the third day?’ One theory is that if Christ died at three o’clock on Good Friday, then day one finishes at three o’clock on Saturday and day three isn’t until Monday at three o’clock. I don’t subscribe to that! A more traditional answer is that three days later is of course Sunday. Church Festivals begin when the sun sets (the reason why we, for example, celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve in the evening), so Easter can be celebrated from about seven o’clock on the Saturday.
Of course there are many different interpretations; in the end we don’t precisely know. From the earliest times, Christians have gathered through the night of Easter to recall the story of God’s saving work, from creation through to the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. However the Easter Liturgy is not merely a presentation of God’s work. It is meant to be a real experience of new life for the worshipper, a passing from darkness to light which offers hope to all the faithful.
It marks the end of the emptiness and hopelessness of Holy Saturday and suddenly like Mary we encounter the celebration and presence of Christ in our midst. In the spiritual and physical darkness of despair we find light and this begins with the ancient hymn of triumph rejoicing, linking this night of our Christian redemption to the Passover night of Israel’s redemption out of Egypt. At last after two commemorative days of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, we have the third day, the Triduum. Here, beyond belief but in strong faith, God overcomes death with the proclamation of the Easter Gospel celebrated with all joy and splendour that the Church can find, and we will certainly be doing that with our choirs, art, flowers and senses, tower bells and at the end with a Champagne Party.
The journey starts at St Anne’s at seven o’clock with the recall of God’s purposes, then we move through Moseley with our Easter Candle, stopping at the Cross on the Green at around a quarter to eight o’clock before moving into the dark Church at St Mary’s at eight o’clock. Come and join this great celebration!! Journey into a new beginning with hope and love as we meet Christ in our midst today, waiting with joy and excitement to embrace us.