Shannon and I recently watched the film, “A Queen is Crowned.”  Some of us are familiar with this part of Queen Elizabeth’s story from the newer series, The Crown, that Prince Philip was instrumental in making sure that this event was available to the world. “A lavish documentary film of Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation in 1953,” it is narrated by Sir Laurence Olivier. (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046222/)  By the way, I researched it—the ‘Sir’ stands; he received that honor in 1947 from Elizabeth’s father. (https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/KingsQueensofBritain/)


What was great fun for us, in the same week in which we later celebrated the ‘Ending of a Pastoral Relationship’ with our retiring Bishop, was to marvel at how similar the Queen’s liturgy and our own movements within a service are.


I never stand at an ancient throne and turn to the people in all four directions, but watching this film was just a delightful reminder of why so many Episcopalians are Anglophiles.  Clearly, we cannot help it! 


This weekend’s convention in Greenville was a really great moment for the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina. The clergy and the Bishop had a Friday evening dinner with a lot of laughter and appreciation for the time we have shared.  There may or may not have been a great amount of water as we rejoiced in our Bishop’s love of helping us to remember our baptism.  That spilled over into the abbreviated business session and the Eucharist the next day.  We left grateful for the journey of Bishop Waldo’s Episcopate and open hearted for the new pathways we might walk with our Bishop- Elect. Daniel. He will move to South Carolina late in December sometime and begin to get to know us in early January.  But it felt good to pause and acknowledge what has been as we make ready to explore what will be.


Our Friday night celebration ended with these words: 

The people wave joyfully to +Andrew and Mary. Goodbye!       








Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
    In the intervening time since my last post, I have been diligently pushing out a weekly column, From the Treehouse, for our church family.   That felt important during the Pandemic at its isolating height, but now we have returned to a crazier life, fraught with all of the anxiety Covid has brought, but missing the slower pace of the previous months.   I have been advised that people are now too busy to read those sorts of things,—and if my own inbox is any witness, I absolutely get it. I have been pondering this culture of ‘both/and’ that has pervaded keeping a church going in these challenging times.   Many things have two sides.   Streaming our services means those immunocompromised folks in our parish family can still stay connected, which is something we absolutely desire.   But it also means that those who might choose to return to church in person instead select an easier route.   I imagine them staying home in their jammies, with coffee and a croissant or panne de chocolat
Read more

One sleepy dog

Image
They do wear each other out. . .We got out of school for ice today so they are glad to have some of us home. I was glad not to drive again! Late nights in Prestonsburg on Wednesday make for sleepy Thursdays.
Read more

Veterans Day

One of the towns I drive through is Manchester, KY. Manchester is a town that supports its military citizens in a big way. Several weeks ago, a deployed group returned. Two miles out of Manchester, the posters and yellow ribbons welcoming them home were blowing in a gentle wind. You could feel the joy of the entire town at their return. East of Manchester, there is a marker with a rifle forming part of a cross. At the base is a pair of boots, and the helmet rests on the butt of the rifle. This week, flowers were added and today a large 4X6 flag flew low to the ground as part of this memorial. I think this particular remembrance might be for Sgt. Stanfill, who died in an accident on the Hal Rogers Parkway just east of Manchester a couple of years ago. Even though Sgt. Stanfill perished on the road I drive several times a week instead of on a far away battle field, I am glad the citizens of Manchester --or perhaps his family-- honor his service in such a way. We observed the tradition
Read more