God is gone up

Ascension Day - when Jesus returned to God the Father - was celebrated in bright May Malvern sunshine. Deep blue skies, scattered with fluffy white clouds made a setting worthy of promotional pics.

And so, following Priory tradition, the Choir ascended the tower for the the Ascension Day Tower Top service.
But traditions evolve…sometimes seamlessly…and today was one of those seamless transition days.

As numbers up the Tower are now restricted, only the Choir and Curate ascended. The rest of the congregation and the Vicar, gathered below in the churchyard, squinting upwards awaiting the slightly-puffed arrival of those who were ascending, releasing their cassocks from the ironing-defying ‘safety hold’ required for the spiral staircase.

‘There they are’ each party exclaimed looking up and looking down.

The Priory clock bonged 9 o’clock. The sound faded, and yellow service sheets in hand, the elevated and ground-level congregations attempted something possibly never done before at the Priory - simultaneous worship separated by a substantial vertical gap.

A thumbs-up from the Curate to the Vicar and both Clergy began the service. Hymns were sung, readings read, by two of the younger members of the elevated and ground level Choir. Those on high heard the end of a hymn, those below heard the voices from above. The peace was shared and all were blessed.

The service ended and those above gingerly looked down to the tiny (in size, not number) folk below, waving cheerily.
Afterwards, safely on terra firma, all agreed it had been an amazing experience; not two services, but one; inclusive (for non-spiral-stairers) and uplifting. God has indeed gone up with a merry shout.

And it seems that elevation really is the order of the day in the Priory at the moment. Encouraged by the Curate, Roger, the Vicar, recorded this video whilst the MEWP was in the Priory a couple of weeks ago.

A Happy Ascension Day to all!