text and images britt-arnhild
Norwegians are a strange people. During the 10 days Easter break we travel up in the mountains in search of the last snow. Skiing, sun, oranges and chocolate are the icons of Easter. I guess ski break would be a better word than Easter break......
Terje and I are very much the same, though our paradise is out near the coast, where I can praise spring, Terje can still go up in the nearby mountains for cross country skiing. (you know the other tale of this, that this year there were NO spring at the cabin...............but I don´t want to think about that now!) (It is still snowing polarbears and penguins outside my window)
Easter break is long, and for us 10 days off work means that the first part can be spent at the cabin, rejoicing spring, the last mountain snow, each other, good food, peace, no stress.........and so on. But the last part of the break, from Holy Thursday and on.......yes, it is holy to us. We want to spend it in church. In the cathedral, in our local church, or as we did last night, as we always do on Good Friday night, we went to Byneset church, the old medieval church in our deanery where I have taken you several times already, for Christ´s Passion.
The priest, a good friend of us (hi Dagfinn, we are looking forward to your Easter party Sunday night) reading from the gospel. The last hours of Jesu life, his struggles in Gethsemane, the carrying of the cross, the crusifixion, the death.
The piest´s voice, words from the Bible, local actors. It all set us in a dark mood, helped us to walk along with Jesus during his last hours. "Why God", and deep inside knowing the incomprehensible answer "Because I love you!"
This dark moment of history.
The darkest moment.
Without hope.
The Dead Christ.
A world without hope.
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We know the end of the story though, no, not the end, the continuation. Christ will rise. Christ lives today. Here and now.
Hope is all I have.
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From the bench where I sat in the church, I could see a light right over the head of Jesus when he died.
"I am The Light"
Hope.
