As Easter Nears…
A ritual of light
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No longer a regular churchgoer, yet I have always attended the Easter service wherever I was, and especially liked the litany in the Anglican church. Though not raised in its tradition, I liked seeing the mitre, the altar and the chalice, and the gold cross carried down the aisle, the vestments of the clergy. Candles sent rays of light in every direction, to remind us that Jesus the Christ is the “Light of the world’’ (John 8:12). I loved hearing the liturgical music of the singers coming from the chancel that stood between the nave and the altar. There was, too, the scent of lilies, the morning light coming through stained glass windows.
Unlike other Protestant churches, in the Anglican service there is usually a ceremonial procession, the high golden cross carried in outstretched hands by the person appointed for this. It has been an integral part of Christian worship since the Middle Ages.
There was a cloud of incense and sometimes torches and banners. In the procession were the ministers and deacons or priests who served in assisting the clergy. The procession could also include the choir and often lead into the midst of the congregation for more singing and reading of the gospel. The music brought heightened awareness of inner contemplation, with Gregorian chants and sacred polyphony, like Allegri’s Miserere. To this day I am stopped where I am when I hear this kind of music, transported into deep stillness.
I think the ritual of this service is far from being oppressive in its essence. Many claim it is too ancient a tradition to follow. Others claim the dogma suffocates the truth. I don’t disagree — when we adhere to a belief that excludes others, we are defying the life force, our very reason for being. Religion en masse has brought as much devastation across the centuries as military wars, if not more.
But I speak of the essence of the service, the original intention, the act of Grace that offers succor and peace of heart and welcomes all. It feels then like sun and light and wind, the substance of life into faith.
My spiritual work now lies far afield, entering what some call a more quantum realm and reality, and the rituals have altered. But I feel a deep reverence and gratitude for the early years when I grew up in the…
