It was Prime Minister Harold Wilson who coined the phrase "A week is a long time in politics", meaning that a lot of what Harold MacMillan described as "events" could happen in the short space of seven days.

Well, to paraphrase Premier Wilson let me say that "A week is a long time in religion", specially when the week happens to be Holy Week.  In this month's leading article I'd like to concentrate on what happened in just that single week in the run up to Easter.  I concentrate on this particular week because it encapsulates and captures so much of what we are about and do as a church.

The week started with Palm Sunday - rain meant that our usual outdoor procession at St. Mary's to mark Christ's triumphal entry into the holy city of Jerusalem happened indoors. We were more fortunate the following day on the Monday of Holy Week when staff and children from St. Mary's School along with Churchwardens, Governors and members of the congregation gathered in the school hall to go through with word and symbol the events of Holy Week.  Thereafter each child was given a palm cross and led by the processional cross the whole school paraded in procession around the school field, singing "We have a king who rides a donkey".  I don't think I have ever felt nearer to what actually took place in Jerusalem on the first Palm Sunday as I did on that happy day.  There was a great spirit of joy and celebration recaptured the time when in Jerusalem "the whole city went wild with excitement". This year I bought 600 palm crosses from Cambridge and all were distributed.

Tuesday of Holy Week saw a very different presentation of Holy Week at Feering Church School.  This time the Passion was presented in words, music and symbol.  With such an early Easter (we'll have to wait another 152 years before Easter falls on March 23rd again) all our children were still at school - this meant that we could really concentrate on what Easter is all about.  There can't be a single child without our two villages who doesn't know the true meaning of Easter.  On the day of the Feering School Easter presentation the Ofsted inspector was in school.  At the end of the inspection he gave an absolutely glowing report - a very nice  "Easter Egg" for all concerned.

The Feering Pram Service on the Wednesday of Holy Week welcomed some new recruits as the toddlers greatly enjoyed making a wonderful Easter Garden.  A great contrast to the place where the BBC filmed The Passion (Morocco).  In the "garden" of Joseph of Arimathaea where the Lord was placed in the tomb, there wasn't a weed, let alone a flower or a blade of grass to be seen!  Fortunately the children's gardens were full of spring flora to symbolise the new life which Easter proclaims.

The morning of Maundy Thursday saw St. Mary's School in church for their presentation of the Easter story.  Each year took a different day of Holy Week and told the story of salvation in story, song and drama.  Even the Reception Cass made a contribution by singing "Hot Cross Buns".  I particularly enjoyed the adaptation of:-

One, two, three, four, five - I know Jesus is alive,
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten - He died for me then rose again,
Why did He have to die?
So I could know, how to love
Where does He live today?
Up in Heaven, but He hears me pray!

The solemnity of Maundy Thursday was kept on the evening of the day with the annual Eucharist of the Upper Room.  There was an increase in the number attending and the choir sang a beautiful Passion-tide anthem just before the washing of the feet.  How much music enhances our worship - truly it is the handmaid of the Lord.

Good Friday and the children of St. Mary's Sunday Club officiated at the morning Service - again, there was an increase in the number attending.  They took us on pilgrimage around the church to various stations - The Upper Room, the Midnight Garden (Gethsemane), the Crowded Courtroom and final to the green hill of Calvary.  There, to show how much Christ loved us - so much that He died for us; we all wrote our names on pink heart shaped post-it notes and stuck them on the Cross.  A pink cross - what would Archbishop Akinola make of that?  This was followed at 12 noon with the more traditional Stations of the Cross which was greatly appreciated by those who followed Our Blessed Lord along the Via Dolorosa.

Holy Saturday and the hailstones rained down upon us for our Walk of Witness.  Yet undeterred thirty brave Christians followed the Cross along the High Street and down from Feering Green to meet at the bridge singing Passiontide and Easter hymns as we progressed. They do say that priests are walking sacraments but on Holy Saturday - Pastor Gill was a walking Bible with his sandwich board proclaiming a message from the Old Testament on his back and a text from the New Testament on his front.  One of the true strengths of local churches is the way we have such good and strong fellowship one with another - thus heeding Christ's Gethsemane prayer - "that they may be one".  As some braved the elements others were decorating our churches so beautifully for the festival the following day.  I do so love the way in which bare Lenten churches are transformed with all the magnificent flower decorations - the Easter Candles and the Easter gardens to greet the Risen Lord.

Well, if we continue to have such early Easters - then we have to expect inclement weather - but a White Easter gave more of a Christmassy feel as we made our way to church on Easter Day.  However, the coldest Easter for forty years did not deter the faithful.  Considering the snow outside we resisted the temptation to sing "In the bleak mid-winter" and sang instead with great gusto "Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia!"

So Holy Week 2008 was certainly memorable in so many different ways but as with each and every Easter the Church militant proclaims with joy and confidence:-

Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Lord

FATHER DAVID