Ascension Day
"Lift up your heart lift up your voice, rejoice again I say rejoice!"
Today is Ascension Day, the day the church celebrates Jesus' Ascension in to Heaven, and the words above come from a popular hymn which is tradiationally sung today. Even for Christians it is not usually celebrated in a big way, but here in Oxford it has become one of my favourite days in the church's year, and is one of the highlights of Trinity Term.
Today begun for me with singing and prayers at the top of Merton tower (in the sunshine, complete with some beautiful views across Oxford) followed by one of the best breakfasts ever in the aptly named 'Breakfast Room'. Bucks Fizz, melon, bagels, cheeses, ham, smoked salmon, pain au chocolat, strawberries, cherries, grapes...suffice to say that it was good.
I then rushed back to Brasenose to join the folks from St Mary the Virgin University Church as they beat their bounds. We sang hymns, chalked the wall in various places and hit it with bamboo canes shouting Mark! Mark! We had coffee and cherry cake in All Souls' Hall, watched some sweets thrown out of a window for kids in University College and we helped a kid draw the boundary mark about 10ft up in Magpie Lane.
There was then time to seek out the boundary mark for another church on the floor of Marks and Spencer's (just because we wanted to really) and we attempted to find Reformed Steve in the Ashmolean. And failed.
The day now continues with the door to Lincoln from within Brasensoe being opened so that we can traipse through and enjoy some free Ale (tainted with Ivy) provided by Lincoln as penance for not saving a Brasenose student from bandits. We will then gather on Lincoln's quad to watch hot pennies being thrown down for kids (wearing gloves) to collect. Amazing.
And by happy, glorious co-incidence, my corner of the blogosphere is one year old today. Leave me a message. Please. Perhaps you would like to sum up this blog from your point of view in a word or a sentence.
So on to the free beer.
by J Pritchard