Palm Sunday at thecathedral this year was especially blessed.
Like many parts of the county and the borough of Dudley, we were blessedwith good weather. Weve also beenblessed with the creation of the new Cathedral Square at the end of the HighStreet, which makes a natural gathering point for a congregation to assemble beforeprocessing onwards.
And this year, wewere blessed that the service was a joint one with St Andrews Methodist Churchin the city centre. Last year, thecathedral congregation and the Methodist church read the Palm Gospel togetherin Cathedral Square before going their separate ways to their ownchurches. This year, we stayed together.
It was more than being ajoint congregation: the leadership of the service was shared, too. Methodists and Anglicans read out the scripturestogether, led prayers together, performed a dramatic passion narrativetogether, and administered communion together. An Anglican minister presided, a Methodistminister preached.It was a wonderfuldemonstration of our unity in Christ, at the beginning of this most holy week.
And it well set the tonefor the addresses in the cathedral in the week to follow: a series given byministers from different churches within the city Methodist, Salvation Army,Quaker, Pentecostal, Baptist and Roman Catholic. The theme is reconciliation how werereconciled to God through the cross; and how through Christ were reconciled toone another, across Christian difference and division.If were able to work with and through ourdifferences as Christians, we have some small hope of showing the world what itis to live and work with difference.
All this, led by our oldfriend Nina the donkey. We have some wayto go in being reconciled to our natural world, but on Palm Sunday, in thecathedral and in countless other churches across the world, the animal kingdomleads the way.
