London

Greetings from London!

And from Randy and Loreen with whom we are staying. They are gracious and generous hosts. You'll see them pictured below at their country estate . . . OK, pictured at Blenheim Palace, near Oxford, where we visited Friday. We all picked up ideas for renovations and gardens at our places!

And then we attended Evensong at Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford. At one point during the service, while soaking up the melodious strains of the choir voices, I thought how archaic, even if beautiful, this liturgy is. But then I began thinking that the making of anything of beauty, of delicate, complex wonder, is an act of participating in the Spirit that is God. I started to see the Evensong rite as less about an offering of praise to satiate the Divine One and more a joining with and being part of the Divine.

Thursday we visited St. Paul's Cathedral, Trafalgar Square, watched the changing of the horse guards, toured the War Rooms, and caught sittings of the House of Commons and of the House of Lords from their visitor galleries (the Lord's gallery is actually called the "Strangers' Gallery".) Saturday we are doing the British Museum and National Gallery and then meeting Randy and Loreen at St. Martin-in-the-Fields for a performance of Vivaldi's "Four Seasons". And Sunday there will be the Tate Modern and tea with the Queen. OK, so our invitations have not arrived yet but I'm sure they are in the mail.

I'm going to have to go back to Jerusalem for a rest.

More Paris

I can't get enough of this city. Sigh . . . . Even Art is wondering why it took me eighteen years to get him here! Grrr . . . . We have had just an excellent time, with stunning evenings concluding each day.

Sunday night's concert at La Sainte-Chapelle was nothing short of soul shaping. A chamber orchestra of first and second violins, viola, cello, base cello and harpsichord with mezzo soprano soloist. The strains swept up to the 15m reaches of the 12th century gothic arches, melted with the glow of the setting sun caught in the magnificent windows fired by the artisans who did Chartres, and then sprinkled down upon us like a spring rain falling on new leaves.

OK, maybe you had to be there. But I assure you the Ave Maria could melt any heart and stop any breath! Awesome. Absolutely.

"Platée", a comic opera/ballet at the Garnier Opera House on Monday was fun. Our little velvet-lined box for six was a bit warm, but we coped.

Tonight we caught a concert at the Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral -- 60 voice choir and organ. It brought tears to the eyes and satisfied those of us who love organs. My niece (who lives in France) and her friend from Sweden were our guests after which we had a wonderful dinner at a little bistro on Ile St. Louis.

Did some one say I'm coming back???? JNAC members at St. Mark's -- how about an outreach ministry here in Paris?

On to London tomorrow (Wednesday).

Paris !

Paris feels a bit like a transition place between the excitement of new cultures and places and those that are familiar and home. I know Paris well and have long had a love affair with it. It is good to be here.

Art joins me on Sunday for a few days – a Vivaldi concert at La Sainte Chapelle, “Platée” at the Garnier Opera House, an organ concert at Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre, dinner with my niece who lives here in France . . . Paris is not for slackers!

Some images of this truly great city.

On the road again

Tel Aviv to Frankfurt to Paris.

The Peace of Jerusalem

In one sense, Jerusalem has run its course and it is time to be moving on. It is a small town and there is only so much religion I can take!

In another sense, however, I have only just come to feel at home here. Something of that which drew me to this city in the first place has moved from magic to familiar. The intensity of spirit which threatened to singe me when I first came has some how become folded into my spirit.

I'm not sure what it will be like to not be here, to not be at the intersection of times and faiths: Judaism; Christianity; Isalm; the Wall; the Church of the Holy Sepulchre; the call to prayer five times a day; Shabbat -- preparation, stillness and quiet, breaking.

Someone asked me if I felt like I'd stepped off of the world when I came here. Actually, I feel like I stepped into the vortex of our human realm.

I don't know what I was looking for or expecting coming here for two months, but what I found is a centre and, in the midst of all the chaos, the press of peoples and the often irritating proximity of that which is so different, I have found peace.

The Psalmist exhorts us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. As Jesus is in the habit of reminding us that the Realm of God is already at hand, in our hand, peace is already in Jerusalem, woven into its turmoil and tension.

Some of my favourite things about Jerusalem

The nifty hats.


The Dome of the Rock, from any angle.


Turkish coffee at the Chain Gate


Hanging out at the Damascus Gate.


The streets of the Old City at night.


The kids.


Evening Prayer at the Dormition Church. It gives meaning to the word "sanctuary" and the clear, strong voices of the priest singing the liturgy accompanied by the warm tones of the organ made you know all is OK as the darkness falls.

Easter Blessings!

Orthodox Palm Sunday

Everyone here has said it is too bad I am not going to be in the city for the Orthodox Easter celebrations next Sunday (they follow the Julian Calendar, thus religious holy days are a week behind us). After catching the Palm Sunday processions at the CHS this afternoon, I see what they mean. The Eastern tradition is full of colour, sound, and emotion.

Four traditions -- Greek, Armenian, Syrian and Coptic held processions around the edicule, to the Stone of Unction, and back to the Edicule, competing for space and out-incensing and out-singing each other. It was nothing short of total mayhem. I witnessed one fisticuffs when the Armenian parade cut off the Syrian parade. Security was quick to step in and it was resolved with ritual kisses.

All this made Easter services at the Anglican Cathedral Church of St. George the Martyr see extremely uptight and boring.

12:30 am Easter Morning, Church of the Holy Sepulchre