After a bit of recovery time from the Holy Fire event, and dinner, some of us wanted to take in more of the liturgies of Easter. Four of us went to the Ethiopian Orthodox Resurrection services. These were held not in a church but in the Ethiopian Orthodox worship space outside on a large roof area near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. As usual we arrived early, so that we could get in and find a suitable place to stand (or sit if a spare space by a wall was available). Although we didn't quite know where the service would be, we ended up in the right place, just near to the people who were leading the service.
The Ethiopian community were very welcoming and there was a feeling of village celebration. It was very informal, in comparison with the liturgies we had been attending so far. There was a lovely children's choir that sang before the service. It was lovely to see the attitude and actions of the adults towards the children - they were so loving and supportive.
In fact, the Ethiopians came across as lovely, gentle and welcoming people. The young priest was clearly a person of sincere and heartfelt faith. There was a lovely choir who sang beautifully, and with such faith and joy.
And when the holy fire/light of Christ's resurrection came the celebration was beautiful, clearly heartfelt and very joyful.
There was a procession around a central monument in the courtyard - a bit more sedate at the front where the Patriarch was processing under the liturgical umbrella (he had come from Ethiopia for the Easter celebrations)
and more hectic and lively elsewhere.
There were ululations, singing and dancing, drumming and clapping. It was wild, but in such a different way from the Holy Fire at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This was Spirit-filled in a way that the other event did not seem to be. It was very moving and possibly the greatest highlight of the Easter celebrations for me - totally unforgettable. I hope heaven is like that.
1 comment:
I'm with you here, Peter. I've read a bit about the Holy Fire and asked myself the question: Does this enhance in any way the Resurrection? And my answer is, no. (Others may answer differently.) But around Easter time I don't like my focus to be somewhere else, even if the whole HF thing is authentic. From your description I would have loved the Ethiopian celebration, too. Ours was pretty cool - outside with candles, ringing bells and shouting Christ is Risen in various languages just after midnight in New Plymouth, followed by a liturgy inside the church. A police car cruised by and stopped at the kerb.
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