Early this morning we got up to walk the way of the cross (stages of the cross) through the old city of Jerusalem. At 6am we set off, led by Bp Suheil and Anglican, Lutheran, Reformed and Presbyterian clergy.
Once again the crowds built up over time, and we mingled with other groups following the route on this solemn day.
I did not have a strong sense of connection with Jesus as I went on this journey, but thought that sometimes just being there and part of what is happening is enough. I don't always have to feel connected to be connected with Christ. Probably the most moving things for me were the prayers read at each of the 14 stations of the cross. We ended up at the Lutheran cathedral, which was simple but beautiful, with a strong sense of peace and prayer about it. Again, we were able to linger for a while for our own personal prayer, which was helpful.
We went to breakfast in the old city, at a favourite restaurant of the College staff, Papa Andrea's, which is owned and run by a Christian family. One item they had drew my attention. It was a bottle of white wine with the label: "Cana: Wedding Wine of Holy Lend [not 'Land']. Souvenir of Cana." But on the metal screw top part on the neck NZ had been printed. So it was clearly a New Zealand wine that had been relabelled and used for this souvenir of the "Holy Lend". (One of the British people on the course suggested that 'Lend' was very appropriate because it matched the New Zealand accent so well!) It was a bizarre moment on the most solemn day of the year.
We went back to the College for a helpful lecture on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is known to the Orthodox as the Church of the Resurrection, which I found a more positive name. In the afternoon we went out to St James Armenian Cathedral for a solemn burial service there. It was astonishing. The interior of the Cathedral was hung with 400 lamps, all of them lit by candles, not electric light.
The liturgy was solemn, powerful and deeply moving. The focal point was a beautifully decorated bier that you can see in the sanctuary, and the liturgy involved 2 male choirs, readings, processions, and plenty of incense. The beautiful singing gradually built up to a crescendo of praise to the Son of God who had won the victory on the cross. Through death he had defeated death.
A procession out of the sanctuary into the body of the church.
The choir on my side of the church - singing by candle light.
The whole experience was both very moving and very exciting. It was certainly one of the high points of my Easter in Jerusalem.
We went back to Papa Andrea's for dinner, and had some time to recover and refresh ourselves before going back to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre/Resurrection for a Greek Orthodox procession. Again it was very crowded - although this picture is taken about 45 minutes before the liturgy was due to start, so it got a good deal more crowded than this.
In this procession various banners, a decorated casket with a shroud and flowers in it, the Gospel book and other items were paraded around the Parvis. There was a choir and all sorts of other people involved.
There was quite a bit of grandeur about the procession but not the same level of solemnity that there had been in the Armenian liturgy. This was not such high liturgy, and in fact there was no liturgy at all. Just a sense of being all together, there to see and to touch holy things.
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