Sunday April 6 @ Christ Church - 10:00 and 18:30

Sunday was a busy day for me, not only did it start with snow, (so there was a rush to find the camera and take some pictures) but I was preaching at both the 10:00am service and at the 6:30pm communion by extension. I am happy to report that the day went well. Follow the links to read both the texts. Hopefully the recording of the morning reflection will appear on the web site soon.
The 10:00am sermon started with me using the Easter greeting. The congregation were a bit slow to react, so we tried again. Then Jo told me to switch my microphone on. I shouted the greeting. A number of the congregation were visibly shocked, it was very loud. Someone complained that I had woken her up - she was joking, of course (I hope!). There followed a mimed re-enactment of the story. The idea was that I would read through the passage and have a couple of the young people mime the actions. I decided to ask a brother and sister. The young man concerned had just returned from skiing, and was walking on crutches. What a sight! Jesus' reluctant follower Cloepas on crutches! I'm sure that made people think - but probably of all the wrong things.

Our evening service is usually a smallish gathering, on one occasion there was just me and the Church Warden, but that is low even by our standards. Yesterday there were nine. Nine is not bad, but the difference is that the nine included two people we had not seen before. It is a great encouragement to me when people just turn up at church. I hope we made them feel welcome and that they will come back to meet the larger 10:00 congregation.

I had forgotten just how tired preaching makes me, after the 10:00am service, I frequently snooze in the afternoon. This can happen even when I haven't been preaching, but is much more common when I have. After the 6:30 though I was exhausted, and really couldn't even sleep.

One other thing to say about yesterday - the Bahrain F1 Grand Prix. I can't remember the last time there were four British drivers in a race and they ALL did so badly. It was not a race I enjoyed watching, and that is rare indeed.