First Sunday in England

My plan had been to worship in King's College Chapel this morning, but since it is not term time none of the college chapels are having services.  Piers showed me many chapels and churches yesterday.  We spoke about worship and about faith together, and he recommended this church, St. Bene't's, Cambridge.

Actually, given how sick I've felt the last two days, my plan had become to sleep in and then go to an evensong service, but I found myself awake bright and early (I think my body still doesn't know what to make of this big a time change!).  I couldn't go back to sleep, so up I got and off to church I went.  I'm so glad I did.  As was my experience last week, this was a profoundly moving and meaningful worship experience.  And in this case it wasn't a small congregation of mostly elderly people, this was a church so full I was afraid I wouldn't find a seat, and there was a boisterous nursery at the back behind the arch under the bell tower (there's a picture of that area in my last post).  Look at the little guy below trying to get in!

Anna, the vicar, was wonderfully welcoming - spoke with me and a couple of other visitors at length after the service.  There was "fizz" served after the service, as a couple from the church was celebrating their 50th anniversary.  There was cake, cookies, orange juice, and "fizz" (champagne!).

Again I strongly felt the unity of the Body of Christ.  I loved what was familiar and what was different - as the familiar made me comfortable and the differences kept me alert.  As in Scotland this service began with the the hymn, "This Joyful Eastertide."  I'm wondering if that's a coincidence or if that is a traditional opening hymn for this part of the church calendar between Easter and Pentacost.  Other hymns with familiar words and/or tunes were "Alleluia, Sing to Jesus" (Hyfrydol) and "The Day of Resurrection" (Ellacombe).

We also recited a creed - not Apostles, as was my experience last Sunday, but Nicene - so awesome professing faith together in that way.  The organ voluntary (recessional) was Bach's Schafe können sicher weiden (Sheep May Safely Graze).  The congregation remained seated for most of it - of course the vicar and other officiants were processing out during this time.  (Have I already mentioned a love of vestments and the processing in and out?)

Here too, as last week, I found the sermon meaningful.  This week's sermon was on John 21:1-19 - where Jesus comes to the apostles at the Sea of Tiberias where they are back to fishing (something I hadn't really thought about before) and where he reinstates Peter after his denial, asking him three times if he loved Him.  There was insight and there was application.  The preacher was Philip Murray.

The tower is Anglo-Saxon and probably built between 1000 and 1050.  Of course much has changed over a thousand years as would be the case with any such structure, there is quite a bit yet, though, of the church that is Anglo-Saxon.  It's pretty cool to worship in a place with a history of Christian worship going back that far - again a sense of being "surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses."

As I walked around the corner to head back to the hotel, the following is what caught my eye - something that I think will continue to happen a great deal in the next couple of days.

King's College Chapel

And then I turned the next corner, and there was Great St. Mary's where I climbed the bell tower yesterday and got the views over Cambridge.  The rest of the pictures are of Great St. Mary's.

And now it's time for a Sunday afternoon nap (and hoping this one will provide sleep!).