#andwerehoff to Church, Platform 9 3/4, Abbey Road, and Church
Sunday started at St Paul's Cathedral for 11:30 Choral Eucharist (Missa Bell' Amfitit' altera by Lassus). People have been worshipping Father, Son, and Holy Spirit on this site for 1400 years! Everything was glorious. Ornate music, Wren architecture, the processional, the mosaics, etc. One thing was radically simple. The cross on the Altar was "The Lampedusa Cross." "This cross is made from pieces of a boat that was wrecked on 11th October, 2013 off the coast of Lampedusa. 311 Eritrean and Somali refugees were drowned en route form Libya to Europe. Inhabitants of Lampedusa helped to save the lives of 155 others...Mr Tuccio, the island's carpenter, was moved by their plight but felt frustrated that he could not make a difference to their situation. The best he could do was to use his skills as a carpenter to fashion each of them a cross from the wreckage o the boat as a reflection on their salvation from the sea and hope for the future" (From the morning's bulletin). Mr Tuccio, the maker of the cross, was worshipping at St Paul's this morning. #goodness
Countless heroes were honored on the walls and floors of St Paul's, but one got his place outside the doors. John Wesley probably fits out on the apostolic edge of the church, and most likely felt more at home outside the doors than inside as he preached the Gospel. "The world is my parish." #truth
Picnic on St Paul's churchyard.
We went to King's Cross Station to find Platform 9 3/4 and about 934 geeks waiting to take the same picture.
Underground
To Abbey Road
Then to the 5pm Evening Service at Holy Trinity Bromption. We have driven by many old church buildings made "redundant" because of shrinking numbers, and rising infrastructure costs. They have become cool cafes and concert venues (and I'm sure other great uses). HTB is #beautiful to me because of their vision statement about playing their part in the re-evangelization of England. They have helped partner with their Bishop and now many others in replanting and bringing vital communities into old buildings. I love their vision.
#beautiful scaffolding! Reminds me of Helmut Thielicke who said the kingdom of God is like scaffolding. You hear jack hammering and drills and hammers and yelling happening behind the apparatus, and you might think destruction is happening, but actually God is doing his amazing work of construction behind the scenes.
We met Joy's cousin's cousin Joel and his wife Zanna at HTB for the 5pm and went to Le Pain Quotidien for dinner afterward. I wish I could say the name of the restaurant. It sounds super fancy. What a blast to get to know this couple. They are fascinating and fun, and a great source of info on the rest of our trip, including some driving advice!
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