PALM SUNDAY

It will seem very strange not to be at Church on this Palm Sunday, but hopefully later, we will join with our Church family for a virtual service on Facebook.  Today is important to us as Christians, because it begins the start of our Holy Week journey.

We have all been touched in the last few weeks by the pain of uncertainty with many of us separated from our families and friends and particularly for those who live alone, perhaps not speaking to anyone for days, but we will get through this.  As a very dear friend of mine, who died many years ago, used to say, “This, too, shall pass.”

We were out by 6.45 a.m.for our walk and it was beautiful - we saw a wonderful sunrise and it was surprisingly warm for so early in the morning;  we enjoyed just being together and of course, I took quite a lot of photographs.  I had remembered to take my selfie stick and was amazed at how much easier it made things, not only taking the selfie, but as I can no longer get down to take photographs, it helped with this too.  I took this shot of the daffodils with the sun behind them and thought they looked beautiful.

Once home, I left Mr. HCB to his own devices getting his breakfast and then we listened to the Morning Service on Radio 4 - with some beautiful hymns and Elgar’s anthem “Ave Verum Corpus”.  I remember singing this when I was in a Church choir many years ago, and found this version on Youtube, so was able to sing with St. John’s College Choir, Cambridge!

During the service, there was a reflection entitled "Who Am I?" written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, which I found very moving.  I thought that these lines were relevant to our present situation although, as difficult as our lives are today, they are nothing compared to his - at the break of dawn on April 9, 1945, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was hanged in a concentration camp, when he was just 39 years old but his faith was strong and he ends with the words, "Whoever I am, Thou knowest, O God, I am thine!"

Be blessed on this Palm Sunday, whatever you do and wherever you worship.   

“Who am I? They also tell me
I bore the days of misfortune
Equably, smilingly, proudly,
like one accustomed to win.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer 
February 6, 1906 - April 9, 1945