Hilltop Dawn Easter Service for East Lothian Congregation

Worshippers gathered on Traprain Law at sunrise on Easter Sunday.

                                                                                                                                     Tuesday April 14, 2015

AN East Lothian congregation scaled a local landmark for a special sunrise service to celebrate Easter Sunday.

More than 60 people from Traprain Parish climbed the nearby 724 ft Traprain Law for the 6.30am hilltop Sunday service after the minister and congregation were granted special permission to place a cross on the landmark (a former burial site more than 3500 years ago) by East Lothian Council. The parish draws its congregation from the villages of East Linton, Stenton and Whittingehame.

The 14 foot by six foot cross was built by James Wyllie and carried to the summit by him, his son Jamie and minister, the Rev David Scott.

David explained: “We were warned that the Exmoor ponies might take an interest in the cross and chew it! A local volunteer, who cares for the ponies, gave us some anti-nibbling paste to spread on the corners of the cross. It smelt bad enough to keep us all away!”

Despite early fears that mist would prevent the service from taking place, the sun cleared and more than 60 people (and their dogs) scaled Traprain Law for the service.

Recalling the service, David said: “For me, it turned out to be the perfect setting. I imagined the mournful women accompanying us with their spices. If there was no mist for them, their eyes were misty with tears and when they encountered the empty tomb, the mystery of the resurrection must have befuddled their brains!

Young and old made their way up the hill – including a baby in a pouch and a twelve-week-old puppy. One of our members celebrated her eightieth birthday up top. The oldest worshipper was almost 84!”

A short service took place on the hilltop including Easter hymns and the Easter Gospel before eggs were rolled on the descent and worship was followed by breakfast at Alison Cargill House in Whittingehame.

David added: “The empty cross looked elegant on top of the Law. But its most powerful quality was its silence. The awesome misty morning with the rising sun struggling to break through helped us to appreciate that words cannot pin down the work of God.”

Comments

There are currently no comments on this post

Add a reply

All fields are required. Email address will not be published.