The First Sunday of Lockdown
The First Sunday of Lockdown - 22nd March 2020 - found my wife and I on holiday in Suffolk. No churches open. It felt very odd. Reflecting on the experience I decided to write a spiritual log Spiritual Communion? When I was a merchant seaman - a life time ago - I belonged to the Mission to Seamen (seafarers, today!) Seafarers’ Fellowship. My mother church in those days was St. Peter's in the Fort, Colombo, where the Flying Angel Club was based. My 'rule of life' committed me to a weekly communion, or if I couldn't get to church, make a spiritual communion. Sundays at sea went something like this: 1) Read the Bible passages set for the day and reflect on them. 2) Tune into BBC World Service and find a religious service to join in with. 3) By an act of memory and imagination, go in heart and mind to be with Christian communities I was part of as they took, blessed, broke and shared the bread and wine. At sea, we stood 4 hour watches watch, 4 hours on and