The Judas Tree

In Hell there grew a Judas Tree
Where Judas hanged and died
Because he could not bear to see
His master crucified
Our Lord descended into Hell
And found his Judas there
For ever haning on the tree
Grown from his own despair
So Jesus cut his Judas down
And took him in his arms
"It was for this I came" he said
"And not to do you harm
My Father gave me twelve good men
And all of them I kept
Though one betrayed and one denied
Some fled and others slept
In three days' time I must return
To make the others glad
But first I had to come to Hell
And share the death you had
My tree will grow in place of yours
Its roots lie here as well
There is no final victory
Without this soul from Hell"
So when we all condemned him
As of every traitor worst
Remember that of all his men
Our Lord forgave him first

D. Ruth Etchells

Sepulchre

sepulchre US, sepulcher [ˈsɛpəlkə]

n

1. a burial vault, tomb, or grave

2. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Architecture) Also called Easter sepulchre a separate alcove in some medieval churches in which the Eucharistic elements were kept from Good Friday until the Easter ceremonies

Songs of Praise -The Easter Story

Music and worship. Bill Paterson and Tamsin Greig read from the King James Bible, and Aled Jones introduces Easter hymns from Wesley Memorial Church in Oxford. Hymns are performed by the Wallingford Parish Church Choir, mezzo-soprano Melanie Marshall and tenor Wynne Evans.

Good Friday Witness

I thought i would have to work, but i made an agreement with Debbie, for her to work this morning and me this afternoon, so i good attend the Good Friday Witness, for the first time never having attended before as I usually work.

I went to the Spinny where there was a short service, and joined Beth, after the service, we did the parade following the large wooden cross being carried by 4 strapping men, we went down by the Library, round past the Green, finishing at St Edmunds and said some prayers just outside the main entrance.

We then went across to Union for coffee and had a service in the church, with the readings about the Crucifiction.  Christine read a poem called The Centurions Story, which was very moving, i googled it but didn't get a hit.

It was a wonderful oasis in the calm of a hectic life.  To make it even more perfect.  It is a lovely warm sunny day.

Maundy Thursday

What is Maundy Thursday? 
 
Maundy Thursday - also called Holy Thursday, is the beginning of the three day celebration of Easter - the most important time in the year for Christians. This period ('The Triduum') is one big celebration, remembering the last supper, the crucifixion and the death of Jesus, and the Resurrection to new life.
Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles.
The Last Supper
On this day, Christians remember the Last Supper. During the meal Jesus took bread and wine and shared them with his disciples. Christians continue to share bread and wine as part of their worship in church.
The Last Supper was probably a Passover meal – the meal which Jewish people share together to celebrate the time when God delivered Moses and the people from slavery in Egypt.
The night of Maundy Thursday is the night on which Jesus was betrayed by Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane.

When is Maundy Thursday?
Maundy Thursday is the day before Good Friday. It is one of the lesser known days of the Christian calendar.

Maundy Thursday 2011 falls on 21 April

What is the origin of the name Maundy?
The name 'Maundy' is derived from the Latin word “mandatum”, meaning a commandment. Jesus Christ, at the Last Supper, commanded:

'And now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.' John 13:34

The washing of feet

During the Last Supper, Jesus washed his disciples' feet. This act has sometimes been followed literally in history as a good way of reminding rulers that they are here to serve their subjects.

What once happened in England on Maundy Thursday?
In England, the custom of washing feet by the Monarch was carried out until 1689. Up until then the King or Queen would wash the feet of the poor on Maundy Thursday in Westminster Abbey. (You should, however, note that the feet were first washed by Yeoman of the Laundry before the monarch had to wash them and kiss them!). Food and clothing were also handed out to the poor.

Maundy Thursday Ceremony

In Britain today, the Queen follows a very traditional role of giving Maundy Money to a group of pensioners. The tradition of the Sovereign giving money to the poor dates from the 13th century, from the reign of Edward I.
At one time recipients were required to be of the same sex as the Sovereign, but since the eighteenth century they have numbered as many men and women as the Sovereign has years of age.
Every year on this day, the Queen attends a Royal Maundy service in one of the many cathedrals throughout the country. 'Maundy money' is distributed to male and female pensioners from local communities near the Cathedral where the Service takes place.

HM The Queen will visit Derby Cathedral for the 2010 Maundy Thursday service on 1st April.

The Service

Yeomen of the Guards carry the Maundy money in red and white leather purses on golden alms trays on their heads.
The money in the red purse is money in lieu of food and clothing while the money in the white purse is the Maundy coins.
From the fifteenth century, the amount of Maundy coins handed out, and the number of people receiving the coins, is related to the years of the Sovereign’s life.
In 2009, each recipient was given two purses – a red purse containing a £5 coin celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Accession of Henry VIII and a 50p coin to mark the founding of Kew Gardens, and a white purse containing 83p in Maundy coins because the Queen was 83 years old this year.

In 2011, each recipient will be given two purses to 85 men and 85 women to mark her age – a white purse containing 85p in Maundy coins and a red purse containing £5 coin and 50p piece

The men and women who will receive the coins are all retired pensioners recommended by clergy and ministers of all denominations, in recognition of service to the Church and to the community.

What is Maundy Money?

Maundy coins are specially minted for the occasion and are legal tender and, as they are produced in such limited numbers, they are much sought after by collectors.

A complete set of Maundy money consists of:

groat (4p)	threepence (3p)	half-groat (2p)	a penny (1p)

Other Maundy Thursday Rituals
Many Christians commemorate the Last Supper in a special Eucharist. In some churches, they may wash each other's feet. After the service the altar is stripped. Some Christians may hold an all night vigil in church, remembering Christ's time in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Holy Tuesday

The Fig Tree: Matthew 21:19-22

Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.
When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.
Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

The Temple Debates: Matthew 21:23-23:39. Excerpt from 21:23-27:

Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”
Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”
They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”
So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

The Olivet Discourse: Matthew 24-25. Excerpt from 25:1-13:

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
“Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
“‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
“Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
“But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

Holy Monday

The Cleansing of the Temple: Matthew 21:12-13

Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”