The Feast of Feasts

We were blessed with a warm, sunny Easter morning, and nearly eighty people at St George's. Gilly, one of the chaplaincy's retired priests with PTO joined me in leading the celebration of the Eucharist at which I presided and preached, and she read the Gospel, interceded and administered the chalice. It's one of the rare occasions in locum ministry when I've been able to share ministry with a priestly colleague - most enjoyable. 

A larger than usual choir sang a special Alleluia acclamation before and after the Gospel, plus an anthem later, both of which had been rehearsed in two Saturday afternoon rehearsals, last week and this. I joined in and sang bass, Clare joined the altos. It's very rare for both of us to sing in the same choir at the same time, possibly not since Geneva days twenty years ago.

After the service I met a couple who recently returned to live in Malaga after twenty years in the UK, a Malagueno, born in the Old Town Sagrario Parish, and his English wife. He's a guitar maker who had to go and train as a luthier in Britain, as in Spain the circle of craftsmen is rather closed to newcomers who don't belong to that domestic or social circle. Nice to think British craftsmanship in the realm of musical instrument making is open to welcome new recruits and able to produce world class standards.

After lunch we walked around the port, enjoying the extended craft market busy with Easter visitors from other parts of Spain, and from two cruise ships docked at the terminal nearby. The Artsenal community arts centre was hosting a disco and street dance event for teenagers. Our afternood ended with a promenade paseo and drink in a beach chirungito.

One Easter procession was scheduled for the morning while we were still in church, which was that of a Resurrection cofradia about which not much information was available.  Somehow I'd expected there to be more on the streets, rather than in the churches. But, as this is a holiday weekend, making extensive support arrangements to cover more than one procession on a civil holiday weekend Sunday morning would perhaps be impracticable after such a demanding week. The sudden descent into everyday secular banality after such a week of powerful experiences, made Easter Sunday seem just a little anti-climactic to me.