Advent - First Sunday

It's unusual for us to be in the UK for the first Sunday in Advent but it was a lot of fun.
We started off at Caroline's regular church, Oasis.  This is the 4th or 5th time I’ve been there and if I lived in London I’d be there most Sundays. The community, the openness and the general feeling of being made welcome is very refreshing. The sermon on the revolutionary aspects of Mary was interesting and very thought-provoking. At the coffee and cake afterwards we met other interesting people and stayed a long while talking.
Back home, after a delicious roast dinner we sat around in a food induced lethargy for a while before heading off into London again.  We walked past the Tate Modern taking lots of night photos of the London skyline, including Jan’s one of St Pauls from the south bank of the Thames. Then we crossed the river to go to the Advent Procession service at St Pauls.
We were sitting on the side of things and didn’t really see anything but we heard a lot of beautiful singing, got to do some singing of our own, and could admire the wonderful building.
Several years ago I was at St Pauls for a service and we were more-or-less chased out afterwards by the staff who seemed paranoid about any photography as we went out. I am happy to say that this time it was very different. We were given a little time to wander around and a blind eye was turned to people taking pictures after the service was properly over (hence my blip). Friendly voices reminded us we should be heading for the exits. After 15 minutes the place was almost empty, and I guess all those volunteers could clear up and go home.  The pleasant and friendly conclusion really enhanced the whole experience.
It was interesting to take part in two such contrasting church services in one day, both part of the Anglican Church.
Another interesting day in the big city.