This is the day the Lord has made

Easter Sunday saw me up early to celebrate the eight o'clock Eucharist at St John's Canton. I was temporarily disconcerted by a nose bleed five minutes before I was due to jump on my bike and ride to church. Fortunately it didn't last long once I got started on my way, and I survived the service without embarrassing myself.

It was very pleasant to walk in the sunshine with Clare to St Luke's for the Sung Eucharist of the day. On the way we noticed that the Goscombe John statue 'Joyance' in nearby Thompson's Park has been restored after a vandalistic theft last year which left in place only the feet and base. I found a news article from two months ago reporting the installation of the bronze replica. Apparently it's the fourth such replacement in forty years.

At St Luke's, I enjoyed preaching to a mixed all age congregation of about ninety, my text: 'This is the day the Lord has made'. The singing was rousing and the mood buoyantly festive. I left my reading glasses at home which made it something of a challenge to focus on my text. Thankfully, I coped without too much hesitation, deviation or prolongation. It was a joyous occasion, with all my favourite Easter hymns. Who could ask for more?