Fools for Christ

Palm Sunday 1st April 2012

There was a baptism at All Saints' West Woodburn during the morning Parish Communion.  (This picture was taken after the service, as we don't take photographs during a holy Sacrament.)
We didn't play practical jokes on each other even though it was before noon on 1st April, All Fools Day!  However, we did think of St Paul's phrase about Christians being "Fools for Christ".  We should be deeply involved in the life of the world, as Christ himself was; but we shouldn't be "worldly" in the sense of aiming our lives at wealth, power, status, celebrity.  People may think we're foolish, but what we really need  in life is food, clothing, shelter and love.  We need thankful hearts to appreciate our God-given gifts; and we need to come closer to God (the source of all goodness) and to share his love with other people.  This is the vocation of the baby in the picture as, through baptism, he becomes a Christian.

Before the service at All Saints, we had had a full Palm Sunday Parish Eucharist at St Cuthbert's Bellingham where the congregation received palm crosses and read in a dramatised version the account of Jesus' betrayal, arrest, trial and crucifixion.  Without this lead up to Easter, celebrating Christ's Resurrection makes less clear sense.

     After the baptism, we visited gardens open to raise money towards repairing the disintegrating roof of All Saints.
      Evensong was at Bellingham at 6 o'clock, followed at 9.15 by the first of our special Holy Week services, compline sung to plainchant in the quiet candlelit church.