The Rector told us that his favourite Funeral hymn is Morning has broken. “It speaks so well of what I believe life will be like at the second coming when we will all be re-united with the departed who have gone before us. It will feel like a new fresh day. You could say that we are experiencing that in church tonight in many ways. One way is the contrast between the stripped back nature of the church building and liturgy yesterday and the splendour of the church tonight.”
Fr Mark continued: “One of the many lovely window displays here (in Holy Trinity Church) depicts new life. It is not surprising that in this farming community the window depicts the new life omong farm animals which occur in spring.The lighting of the fire at the start of this service is another sign of that. Having gathered in the evening sunset. The fire represents the undying life of God. We used the flame of the fire to light the Paschal Candle – the symbol of the Resurection….and so to our own candles are light from the Paschal candle …so the light spreads.
“Fr Tristan sung the Exultet not as a song to the candle, but what it represents. It represents, in the words of the Exultet:
‘Christ, the Morning Star, has come back from the dead, and now sheds his peacful light on the world’
St Paul reminds us (Ro 5.12-15) Sin came in tot he world through one man Adam, and grace in abundance came to the world through the incarnate Christ”
So as the lights went on all around the church, the candles were light and bells were rung to welcome that new life, we can also say Jesus Christ is risen to day! Alleluia!
