Swan Upper and Easter ‘Dawn’ Service by the Thames at Staines
Sunrise was supposedly at 6.29am in Staines where I live this morning, although the sun didn’t manage to show its face until a brief break in the clouds close to 9am. However it felt rather early when I got out of bed and onto my bike to cycle unsteadily through the empty streets (one stuttering motocycle, a paperboy on his bike and a single car on the main road) to the riverside car park where a small group of local Christians were assembling an hour late for a dawn service.
aster ‘Dawn’ Service by the Thames at Staines
“Christ is Risen!” rang out over the open space (we got it in Greek too, though that was a week early) and around 20 voices responded “He is risen indeed!” and the service continued with hymn, songs, prayers and testimony , before most of those present continued their fellowship over a shared breakfast at the local Baptist church, which I was sorry to have to miss.
Roman Soldiers from ‘The Staines Passion’ at the Good Friday service
Easter is becoming more visible in Staines, with a procession through the town to a service in the local shopping centre on Good Friday, handing out free hot cross buns with a message on the serviettes, and two large open-air performances of ‘The Staines Passion’, a dramatised recreation of the Gospel stories on Holy Saturday, which this year I missed, though I did photograph it last year. Many of the cast were at the Good Friday procession, some in costume, and they performed a short version of the Last Supper and the arrest of Jesus as a trailer for the main event.
Jesus and the disciples from ‘The Staines Passion’ performing the Last Supper
Back home it was time for more hot cross buns (I prefer them cold and with a bitter touch of good marmalade) and Easter Eggs. And perhaps later a good walk after I’ve recovered from that early rising.
A scene from the 2014 performance of ‘The Staines Passion‘
