Holy Week in Bermondsey

MAUNDY THURSDAY
Here's part of the great team from St Anne's who hosted our Maundy Thursday Lord's Supper celebration for St Mary Magdalen, St Anne's and St James.

St Anne's Hall was packed for this well loved annual event where we sat down for a meal together in the context of a celebration of Holy Communion.

The Bible tells us that the Lord took the bread and said 'This is my body which is for you' and then, after supper, he took the cup and said 'This cup is God's new covenant, sealed with my blood' (1 Corinthians 11). We followed the same pattern, sharing the bread at the beginning of the meal, and sharing the wine 'after the supper.'

Like the first disciples we then 'sang a hymn and went out' (Mark 14.26).

It was, as always, a very special occasion 'on the night he was betrayed' when he was 'at supper with his friends.'

GOOD FRIDAY

Starting off with a family service in St Anne's, we walked to the Blue, meeting the group from St Mary Magdalen on the way for what I think must be the wettest Good Friday Open Air event on record. It poured

Charlie from St Mary's led the service - you can just about see him through a sea of umbrellas - and I preached, and three people, Friday from St Mary's, Ruth from St Anne's, and Sir Simon Hughes from St James shared what Easter meant to them.

It was great to be out in the Blue Market, at the heart of Bermondsey, proclaiming the message of Christ crucified, that God God loved the world so much that he gave his only son so that whoever believes in him may not die but have eternal life.


After all that, with the rain lashing down, and the temperature reducing, it was time to walk to St James.

The Good Friday meditation followed at 2pm, but first was the welcome sight of hot steaming pans of sundry home made soups, and our traditional St Mary's-St Anne's-St James Good Friday fellowship lunch.....