The April worship meeting of Didymus (Ringwood Unitarians) was on Sunday 13 April (Palm Sunday for western Christians).
Our meeting was linked with imminent
Jewish festival of the Passover, which occurs in what western Christians call
Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter.
It was to celebrate the Passover that Jesus went to Jerusalem, commemorated
on Palm Sunday. The Passover marks the pivotal
event for the Jews, in which God granted them freedom from slavery to the
Egyptians. This freedom came with the
specific instruction that it was given in order that they could make study of
the law, i.e. the life of the spirit, a defining focus of their lives.
In our meeting we read texts from the prayer book, and combined
Taizé-style chant with periods of silence, as well as sharing bread and
water. The Passover was a violent affair
involving animal sacrifice and death of many Egyptians in the face of
protection and release of the Israelites, and we reflected on it as both hope
and dread. And we also considered the
value of sharing it with others even if the outcomes can't be changed.
