Today is Good Friday, the day Christ was crucified. I find myself in a country steeped in religious tradition and buildings whose existence far outweighs our country's history. I wanted to experience both and what better way than to go to a service at Westminster Abbey.
Since I wouldn't be in London for Easter, this was my chance.
I had a while before the service started so I went to the British Museum. Visiting inside attractions was my plan today as it was raining and the first occasion I've had to whip out the good 'ol umbrella. It also helped that it was free. The museum reminds you of this with donation stands positioned in many strategic locations. It's a massive building underneath a white dome. I was mainly interested in seeing the bits of the Parthenon on display that the British took from Greece, although the museum does say they had permission.
What I ended up being amazed by was the Egyptian exhibit, full of Sphinx statues, walls with art and writing, and mummies. Throughout the museum, I was overall drawn to the sculptures and carvings - the detail and skill that went into making these pieces astounds me. I also saw the Rosetta Stone, a stone found in a town called Rosetta which lists the accomplishments of the Pharaoh in the three languages of Egypt around 196 B.C.
The crowds were getting to me and I mistakenly thought early Biblical texts were on display in this museum but I found out they were in the British Library. Seeing I still had some time before the service, albeit short, I made an impromptu jaunt to the British Library.
At almost every tube station I get turned around once I leave them. There's signage saying the street name certain exits will take you to, but I often don't know the street I need to be on! It took me a few moments to figure out where I was on the map and then set out for the library. It was about a 20 minute walk but walks always seem longer when you're pressed for time. Just as I felt like I had been walking forever I saw it, right next to St. Pancras Station (I guess I could have taken that tube station instead!), only to find the gates locked. The library was closed for the Easter weekend beginning today. This is why I research and plan things. Oh well. Disappointed but proud I made it there, I hopped on the tube at St. Pancras station and headed for Westminster Abbey.
It began to rain steadily by now so using my umbrella was vital. The weather didn't hinder people as there was a sea of umbrellas all around me. It does prove to be a bit of a challenge walking about. People are already walking fast - throwing in a potential poking device three-times the size of a person definitely adds a new element to the London Quickstep involving dips, bows, and dancing on tippy-toes so as not to pierce those taller than I.
I arrived at Westminster Abbey about 45 minutes early. It wasn't open for tours today due to the Good Friday services, so this was also a way for me to see it at no cost, although not as detailed as I would see through a tour.
I found the entrance for the church services and thought while I had time, I could accomplish another scavenger hunt item - get a piece of toilet paper from Westminster Abbey or St. Paul's Cathedral to see if it's stamped with an emblem and was a different texture. I looked at St. Paul's Cathedral and their toilet paper was normal, at least in the restroom I visited, so this was my last chance.
I caught the tail end of the Way to the Cross service and asked an attendant directions to the restroom. She conferred with a colleague. Both seemed unsure. How can they not know where the bathrooms are? Is this not their regular church? Are they helping out? There must be restrooms in the building. Even people of old had to use the restroom. They sent me across the street to a Methodist church to use the facilities there. This seemed odd but by this time I actually had to go so I took their advice. I wouldn't think the Methodist church would be happy with this suggestion. So unfortunately I wasn't able to accomplish this task but if anyone does happen to find a restroom in Westminster Abbey carrying stamped toilet paper, please bring me a square!
A little dismayed, I headed back to the abbey for the Good Friday service and was directed to the central part of the abbey. It has a much different feel than St. Paul's Cathedral, being much darker stone, rectangle in shape with hundreds of small spires adorning the roof, giving it a medieval feel.
I was awe-inspired at its grandness. It made me feel so small but in the midst of the vastness; the cold, gray stone; tombstones inlaid in the flooring; and statues, bursts of color penetrated through stained glass windows - a large, circular shaped one stood before me, almost reminiscent of a daisy, causing me to smile.
The service began with reverent pomp and circumstance as all the people leading the service took their places, dressed in formal robes. They sang the entire scripture about Jesus' betrayal and Crucifixion. It was an interesting way to read scripture that I had never experienced but was hard to understand at times, making me wish I had a Bible with me to follow along.
All was silent as a simple cross was brought into the middle of the abbey. In the midst of the vast grandness, this simple cross seemed to anchor the building with meaning, focusing our attentions properly. This is why we were here - the cross and what was done on it that changed the course of history.
Just then the choir began to sing. It wasn't any hymns I knew so I listened. The notes, pure in form floated to the ceiling as if wanting to pierce the heart of heaven, to be with the one they were created to honor and when separated from their destination, fell in lament, weeping with each intermingled harmony, piercing our hearts instead, including my own.
People were invited to kneel at the cross to pray and reflect on the meaning of this day, putting eggs and bunnies aside. A death occurred of an innocent man, who indeed was more than a man. He was God. His death was more than a death. It was the way to spiritual life for us all. He died in our place, pure in form, to pierce our corroded hearts, giving us a new opportunity to live life as it was meant to be lived - no longer separated from Him. Come Easter morning, He would later defeat death as pure love such as this has the power to do, making him our Savior.
The weight of these thoughts pressed on my heart and expressed themselves in my eyes as I went forth to kneel before the cross, weeping with remorse and gratitude. We later were given the opportunity to physically remember these events by taking communion, further enforcing the true meaning of Easter within me. The service ended solemnly, the air filled with peace mixed with the weight of grief, a feeling that accompanied me the rest of the day.
I walk to Trafalgar Square and then decided to make my way back to my B&B in style by strolling through St. James Park. Now that I knew where I was, I thought it would be a lovely experience walking through a visual masterpiece of grass, trees, flowers, meandering paths, and streams, giving a finishing touch to my London experience.
I grabbed some dinner at a restaurant by my B&B, tried a Cornish pastie, then went to pack for my next adventure, reflecting on today's heart piercing experience. Today may have been Good Friday, but it was my Easter. Who knows - this may be what I need to help me through this next bit of my journey, full of more adventures which I'm anticipating to be the most daunting I will encounter so far.
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