The first day of our Flower Festival weekend was blessed with warm sunshine so the doors were wide open to welcome people in to enjoy the flowers, refreshments and music. There was a great selection of cakes, scones, sandwiches, fruit and drinks on offer for people to purchase and we were visited by walkers, holiday-makers, friends and neighbours. Visitors in the first hour of the day were treated to the beautiful sound of the harp and Sophie will be playing again before the Sunday service if you would like to hear her. We were grateful to friends John, Doreen and Karen for offering their talents on the organ and violin as well. In the middle of the day one of our visitors who was an organist from Seaton played for us which was a bonus. Tomorrow the Bishop of Gloucester, Bishop Rachel, is presiding at our morning service and in the afternoon the Blockley Brass are playing at 2:30pm. The flower arrangements in church look wonderful. We do hope more people will come along to enjoy them. The church will be open between 10am and 4:30pm with a pause for our usual Sunday service between 11:15 and 12:15 in the morning to which all are welcome. Free admission!
A joyful communion service was held on Easter Sunday. The church looked beautiful with flowers everywhere and candles lit and, outside, the stone was rolled away in the Easter Garden to reveal the folded linen inside. The wooden cross that had been the focus on Good Friday now stands outside bedecked with flowers for all to see. We were delighted to welcome children to hear the Easter story with us during our service. They enjoyed puzzles and colouring as well as a chance to scatter grass seed which we hope will bring new life to a patch of ground left bare after last summer's building work. They also made their own miniature Easter gardens. At the end of the service they added bright daffodils to the flowers at the foot of the Paschal candle and everyone was offered a small Easter egg! Dana's sermon linked the Christmas story to the Easter story ( you cannot have one without the other!) directing our thoughts to why Easter is so amazing and such good news. Easter joy is to be shared, to be grown, to be treasured. May that joy be our strength, our inspiration, and our refuge in trouble.
Good Friday afternoon saw people gathering in St. Lawrence's Church from both Blockley and Bourton on the Hill for a moving hour of reflection on the story and impact of Jesus's Crucifixion entitled "The Last Hour on the Cross". The service included hymns, readings, prayers and silences as well as symbolic extinguishing of candles in a church stripped bare of the usual altar hangings. We were all given a small wooden cross to have during the service which, towards the end, we were invited to lay at the foot of the large cross which had been placed in the centre of the building as a focal point. The service had been prepared by our vicar Dana and was sympathetically led by Rev Peter Bevan whom we are always delighted to welcome to our church. In contrast to that time of quiet thoughtfulness, this morning the church was buzzing with activity as people came to decorate it with flowers ready for the Easter Sunday Service at 11:15 tomorrow morning. It was sunny outside and hot cross buns and hot drinks were shared. We are looking forward to our Easter morning service and are hoping that everyone remembers the clocks go forward tonight!! EVERYONE IS WELCOME!!
