What happened to Whitweek? Not all that long ago, the fiftieth day instance, Manchester still holds a vibrant after Easter was universally known and exciting Whit Monday walk, with as Whitsun and the whole week participation from many churches and afterwards was known as Whitweek. community groups, with a brass band This was a celebration of one of the playing along. most important festivals of the Christian And of course the great feast of year: the feast of Pentecost. The name Pentecost remains an important day “Whitsun” goes back to the thirteenth for the Church. It is often seen as the century. It was a great time of festival Church’s birthday (rather like the Queen, and rejoicing – and not necessarily of the the Church seems to have more than the religious kind! normal number of birthdays). Whitweek was the typical occasion for St Mary’s Church always enjoys activities like Morris dancing and fairs. In celebrating the occasion, especially as Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbevilles, some of the great hymns are sung at Tess meets Angel during a Whitweek this time of year! The date this year is dance. Sunday 15 May. These customs have diminished in Isn’t it a pity, though, that the ancient recent years, especially since the Whit customs of Whitweek are barely seen Monday Bank Holiday was fixed at the any more? Perhaps it’s time for a revival end of May. But in some places there – and why shouldn’t it start in East are still public, joyful celebrations. For Barnet? The magazine of East Barnet Parish May 2016 3,200 free copies The lilac is a flower traditionally associated with Whitsun in England (CC-BY-SA 2.5, delivered each Svdmolen/Wikimedia Commons) month 2—Church Hill Herald May 2016 May and June worship Sunday 1 May Sunday 29 May SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY ROGATION SUNDAY 10am Parish Eucharist 10am All-Age Eucharist No evening service No evening service Sunday 5 June Thursday 5 May SECOND SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY ASCENSION DAY 10am Parish Eucharist 8pm Eucharist 6.30pm Evensong Sunday 8 May Sunday 12 June SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER THIRD SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY 10am Parish Eucharist 10am Messy Mass Evening services to be confirmed 6.30pm Broken (alternative worship) Sunday 15 May Sunday 19 June PENTECOST FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY 10am Parish Eucharist 10am Parish Eucharist 6.30pm Evensong 6.30pm Evensong Sunday 22 May Sunday 26 June TRINITY SUNDAY FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY 10am Partnership Eucharist at St Mary’s 10am Parish Eucharist with admission of children to Communion 6.30pm Evensong 6.30pm Evensong Afternoon tea for the Queen Save the date! 12 June 2016, 3–5pm Join with us and Martin H.C. Russell, H.M. Deputy Lieutenant of Greater London, for Afternoon Tea at St. Mary’s, East Barnet to celebrate the 90th Birthday of our Patron, H.M. Queen Elizabeth II For the younger generation Toddler Praise Mothers, Others and Tots (MOT) 10.30–11.45am, alternate Mondays Pre-school playgroup St Mary’s Church Every Friday 1.30–3pm in term time Info: Claire Driscoll, 07957 584516 Brookside Methodist Church Hall Info: Parish Office, 020 8441 4401 Sunday Club 10am every Sunday (except all-age services) Church Hill School “Let the little children come unto me” All children (5–11) welcome Info: Parish Office, 020 8441 4401 Church Hill Herald May 2016—3 From the Rectory The Revd James Mustard Parish Priest Pentecost: unity and disagreement The great fifty days of Easter about three thousand people. split into two, still irreconcilable conclude on 15 May with the Through these two accounts, parts over that question. feast of Pentecost (from the Pentecost points to two hugely And it seems these may be Greek “the fiftieth day”). significant disputes: first, the topical discussions for us all once In England, this is sometimes relationship of the Church to the again, as a proposal to harmonise known as Whitsun or “White Jewish Law. Should Christians see the date of Easter (currently varying Sunday”. However, since the themselves in continuity with the between East and West) has moveable Bank Holiday of “Whit Law of Moses or apart from it? been mooted by the Pope and Monday” was abolished in 1978 Jesus says in St Matthew’s gospel the Ecumenical Patriarch (with in favour of a fixed, late May Bank “Do not think that I have come to Archbishop of Canterbury weighing Holiday, this term is gradually falling abolish the law or the prophets; in for good measure). If we do out of popular use. I have come not to abolish but harmonise our celebrations of The significance of the fifty days to fulfil.” What does that mean? Easter, it will be a significant victory lay in it being the Jewish feast of Scripture records St Paul and for ecumenical relations. However, Shavuot, or the Festival of Weeks, St Peter’s strong disagreement if we “fix” a calendar date, we will marking the giving of the Hebrew over this, and the relationship tether Easter to the solar calendar, Law to Moses on Mount Sinai. So between Jews and Christians is still rather than the lunar calendar, and the book Acts records the Disciples evolving and being reconciled as its Jewish origins in Passover and gathering to mark this festival. But we continue to work out together the origin of Pentecost in Shavuot. their celebrations take a remarkably what it means to have such a deep So any discussion will have to unexpected turn. For Acts gives us shared heritage, deep divisions and consider the inter-faith dimension of a wonderful – even comic – scene: a terrible history of Christian bigotry this conversation. rushing winds, tongues of fire, an and persecution. All of this reminds us that, two inspired sermon from St Peter and The second dispute resonates thousand years on, the Holy an outbreak of speaking in tongues. with the division between the Spirit is still moving us to interpret Indeed Peter and the Apostles are Eastern Orthodox and Western afresh the words of scripture and thought to be drunken revellers, Catholic Churches, hinging as Christian tradition. It may seem though Peter refutes this with the it does on a single, Latin word arcane, but discussing the date apparently persuasive argument “filioque” (“and from the Son”). of Easter suggests that there is a “These are not drunk, as you Does the Holy Spirit come from commendable move of some sort suppose, for it is only nine o’clock Jesus, (as suggested in the Gift of of unity in the Church. What do I in the morning.” the Spirit in St John’s Gospel), or think? Personally, I’m ambivalent This may be considered to mark from God the Father and the Son about a fixed date. But I do rather the “birth” of the Church and the (as suggested in the book Acts’ miss the idea of a ‘Whit Monday’ Apostles are given authority and a Pentecost)? These might seem holiday and if Easter were fixed, it commission. The book Acts tells small matters, but one thousand would once more be a feature of all us that their first act was to baptise years ago, the Christian Church our calendars. 4—Church Hill Herald May 2016 The joy of being in a crowd A couple of weeks ago, I spent of it was compelling. Crowds are a very busy Sunday afternoon Sam Korn great, but they can also be very trying to keep up with several Assistant Curate dangerous. different events on television. I have similar feelings about On one channel was the Formula the most extraordinary days cricket crowds in church as well. I love a 1 motor racing; on another was the imaginable. The cricket was great, Sunday morning with 120 people, World Twenty20 cricket final; on but it was even better to experience but I also love a quiet moment another was the Tour of Flanders it with 22,000 people, singing with five people, or even an hour road cycling race. It was confusing ridiculous songs and shouting. in church by myself. It makes the and I think I managed to miss the And then there’s rock concerts. crowds that little bit more special. important bits of all three. For me, there isn’t much better than *** Despite being no sportsman (as being in a crowd of 100,000 people A small side note: I’ve been asked I may have mentioned before in all singing along with one another. several times recently why I am these pages), I’ve always enjoyed I love going to Bruce Springsteen described as “Assistant Curate”, watching sport. I enjoy watching it concerts, partly because the music when I am univerally referred to as on television, but even more I enjoy is fantastic and partly because the “the curate”. going to sporting events in person. experience of being in that kind of This is a historical quirk. The It’s nice, of course, to have a crowd is something very special. curate of the parish is the person day out at a county cricket match, There’s something about it I can’t in charge of a parish, the one when you can have an entire stand quite describe. It’s that feeling of who has been given the “cure of to yourself on many occasions. But being with all those other people, all souls” (meaning “care of souls”). I prefer the big occasions. I love participating in a joint act. Of being That meant the vicar or rector of being in a big crowd.