The procession of witness involved walking between five churches across the town centre and reading a section of Mark's gospel in each. The result was that we followed the whole passion story from one gospel broken up by processing in the rain between the venues. It was an appropriate day to be dreek and wet. The song may go "Don't let it rain on my parade!" but the grey skies and damp chill seemed to fit the mood well.
Of course crucifixion in Jerusalem would have been in the heat of the day. From nine am until three in the afternoon Jesus was dying on the cross. "We may not know, we cannot tell, the pains he had to bear" is a verse we sing in the green hill hymn. No wonder that one of the recorded sayings from the cross is "I thirst".
Was there an expectation of being pious and singing solemn hymns as we walked? It didn't happen. The mixed group of people from different churches were eager to converse, exchange news and share sweeties. I have never eaten so many boiled sweets in such a short time before. Perhaps they are allowed for those who are fasting! What did the "walk of witness" achieve? Most of the time we were walking along paths where there were no people to witness to! When we walked along the shopping mall people looked out of shops and saw the group of people walking past but unless they saw the person in the lead carrying the big wooden cross they might not have had any idea what we were doing.
On Good Friday evening I attended a service meditating on the events of the day. The preacher led a series of meditations based on the words from the cross. The atmosphere was solemn and the hymns worthy and the verbal pictures painted in the meditations of the practice of crucifixion horrific. But I was left wondering what has all this to do with the every day faith that I try to live out.
Have we lost the ability to mark this important day in the church calender in a way that is appropriate for people today?
I think the problem is that Christianity has, in general, become too materialistic. On the liberal side there is great concern about material things like poverty and hunger. On the evangelical side its all very material with concern about there being an actual physical resurrection, not cremating people and ensuring that baptism is physically by immersion. Or, the baptist minister who insisted on telling children at a Christmas service about the sounds of the nails crushing through the bones of Jesus' hands.
ReplyDeleteThe world is equally materialistic of course. The church needs to point to the spiritual and I am not sure a walk of witness does that. I carried the cross in the Stirling one once and I felt a bit of pratt if the truth be told.