What wonderful things to do!
St. Matthew’s is not an ancient church. It was founded by the Abbey as an outreach project to the neighbourhood, which at the time (19th century) was rather derelict! Since then, St. Matthew’s has been the home of a colourful crowd of people, doing ministry faithfully, yet, not without struggle.
The parish is Catholic in flavour and so there is daily Morning Prayer, Eucharist, and Evening Prayer and I was able to make Morning Prayer there most days. It is quite lovely to participate in this kind of regulated worship-pattern and it turned my stay (almost) into a retreat. However, there were so many other distractions around that made it impossible for it to be a retreat only!
First of all, I have to admit that I cheated on St. Matthew’s quite frequently, not just for Evensong, but also for Eucharist. With Westminster Abbey in such close proximity, it was a temptation I couldn’t resist. Most evenings would find me in the choir stools of the Abbey praying along with hundreds of others from around the world. And, yet again, I was deeply touched by Evensong’s profound and deep revelation of the presence of God. Often, as the sun was setting and as the light through ancient Gothic windows faded away, the light of the divine mystery shone brightly in our midst. It was beautiful!
On my last day, I even made it to Morning Prayer in an ancient chapel dedicated to St. Faith, followed by Eucharist at the Shrine of St. Edward. What an experience! Yes, during the day, the Abbey turns into a major tourist attraction. There is too much going on and the Abbey’s character as a national monument overshadows its character as a place of prayer. However, early in the morning, as the sun rises through the East window, and as ancient words are prayed over bread and wine next to the tomb of a saint, heaven does open and the Abbey’s true identity is revealed.
Another ancient and of course rather important place for us Anglicans is Canterbury Cathedral. I made it to Canterbury on Thursday by train (which in itself was rather lovely!!). Canterbury itself is a small market-city, which has preserved much of its old charm. There are little streets lined with shops, restaurants, and pubs. And of course, there is Canterbury Cathedral towering over everything. This ancient place of worship is truly a holy place and worth a visit. I even got to kneel at the place Thomas Becket was martyred to say a prayer!
Canterbury is also home to the oldest parish-church in England: St. Martin’s. Christians have gathered on this very spot since the 4th century to worship and proclaim the Gospel. It is a quiet, small, and serene place surrounded by an old churchyard. What more can you ask for… Inside, the church is simple – and prayers from seventeen centuries are oozing from the ancient walls. I love St. Paul’s, but this was special! And I bet the congregation there is not like the "crazy" people of St. Paul's. :)
On my second Sunday in London I joined the congregation of St. Matthew’s for their main Eucharist. And behold, I had my second celebrity sighting! I was sitting three chairs behind the Archbishop of Canterbury, who was sitting with his son. It was quite touching to witness the close connection to his son – and it turned him into a human being. I did not talk to him (he probably gets accosted way too often anyhow!), but said a silent prayer for him.
Yes, there are a number of things, on which I disagree with him. But he is the Archbishop of Canterbury, and frankly, he is the best we can get right now… I do find his theological approach rather fascinating and more then intriguing. And I have to admit I have been impressed with his leadership during Lambeth 2008. I pray he will still be Archbishop in 2018 – and reactionary literalists haven’t destroyed our church by then! These are indeed interesting times to be part of – but then, that’s a Chinese curse, right?
In the evening of this Sunday I was able to experience a quiet different way of being church and of celebrating Anglicanism. “Moot” is an outreach of the Diocese of London in the “Emergent Church” tradition. It is highly unconventional, but deeply innovative and, I believe, rather prophetic. Still small, it reaches around 50-100 people. But: I was an oldie among the 20- and 30-somethings!!! And it definitely is a expression of the Christian faith that tackles difficult issues, discusses hot topics, offers profound insights, nurtures the souls of young urban dwellers, and keeps up with the way of life in our age and time. I think we can learn a lot from “Moot” as we discern our way forward in ministering to people in Yaletown! Their website is rather good – do read it! And they love to go out for beers afterwards…
After a few days in London some of my friends complained that I did too much churchy things... Well, I am a church geek, but I did do other things too:
For the first time ever (I am ashamed to admit) I made it to the British Museum. It was a really good visit and I focused on the Early European period and the Mesopotamian exhibit. Mind you, I did get to see the Rosetta Stone too! The Pergamon pieces were spectacular. And, to top it off, I was quite impressed with the architecture of the museum.
Outside the museum, I had a quick snack and had a nice conversation about Canada with a man from Cyprus. I wonder if it had to do with the Canada-sweater I was wearing…
Speaking of Canada, of course there was some Canadiana in London:
The Canadian High Commission…
… which is right at Trafalgar Square.
And these lovely gates with the old Canadian Coat of Arms…
… which are right next to Buckingham Palace.
Things I had never noticed before!!! O Canada…
Another new discovery was the Tate Modern gallery, with really breat-taking modern art. Granted, some I didn’t particularly care for, but there was a lot of really good stuff, which counter-balanced some of the classics I had seen at the National Gallery a few days before.
I also participated in London’s very lively entertainment industry, watching two musicals (“Avenue Q” and “Legally Blond”) and two movie (“How to Train a Dragon” (3D at the IMAX theatre) and “A Single Man”). And it was all quite exciting.
Yes, it was a full week. And I haven’t said much about my cider-consumption. And I won’t. Some things that happen in London will stay in London...!
