Good Friday

Greetings in the Name of our Lord,
On this Good Friday, I will simply report and reflect a little bit on the activities of the last 24 hours. We held a moving foot washing service up on the second floor patio-balcony at Ruby's last night with all of us plus Francis and Vernon Wilson. This followed a delightful dinner at the Sunset Grill overlooking the bay and spectacular pink cloud sunset. At the foot washing, we used three buckets and several communal towels, and, patterned according to the Compline liturgy as well as the Prayer Book of the West Indies, we heard the passage from John's Gospel in which Jesus washes his disciples feet and then commands us to wash each other's feet. For most this was a new experience, to request that another allow a fellow missionary to be their servant through the symbolism of foot washing. After all had finished, Francis and Vernon presented each one of us with two gifts--the first, a 2007 picture calendar of Holy Cross School, and the second, a Holy Cross Anglican Cross necklace made from the jewelry shop that Vernon established in Belize City. This jewelry shop was established as a trade school and training center for Belize inmates. In December, Vernon asked each student to design a cross for the school--after researching the appropriate Anglican symbols that might be used. The winning cross was chosen from many good designs, and, by about Christmas time, more than 200 had been produced. This experience was one of the most important and influential for three of the inmates whose sentences were reduced or allowed out on early release. Extra sets of crosses and calendars will come back to St. Michael's as gifts to those contributors to the project that could not physically be here with the team.

Today was our last day with the children, and our last day with construction. The large wooden cross we made yesterday was processed into the parish hall/church and stood at the back during the Good Friday service, which began about 9:30 after the students arrived. The service began with singing and the Gospel reading for this Good Friday by John Gibson. Fr. Gibson then delivered a simple but poignant homily in which he explained Jesus' self-sacrifice on the Cross on our behalf. After the homily, Fr. Gibson read a series of collects while the Cross was processed forward by Ellen Currin, Madeleine Campbell, Hannah Waddell, and John McHenry. After each collect, the large wooden cross, adorned with the children's prayer-art work, was stomped against the wooden floor, making a loud sound symbolic of Jesus falling with his cross on the way to Golgotha, and, later, the nails being driven into Him by the Roman soldiers. As the Cross reached the Altar, all the children were invited to gather round. There, Fr. Gibson recounted the great acts of God from the Baptismal Covenant, and then blessed both the Cross and the children gathered around it. We then sang a song that we taught the children this week and that they have come to love -- "All God's Critters Have a Place in the Choir". The service concluded with a closing blessing and children's hymn, "This Little Light of Mine."

This evening we will have Stations of the Cross. Fr. Gibson has laid out a route around downtown San Pedro, and at each station we will recount the journey and crucifixion of Christ on this day. We will then share a simple supper with Francis and Vernon Wilson. This promises to be a wonderful and moving evening of remembrance, sadness, joy, and celebration. God's blessings to all. JohnnyMac.