This Good Friday SAINT Church in East London welcomed the Rt Revd Dr Joanne Grenfell, Bishop of Stepney, to Shoreditch Church to lead six meditations on the Gospel of John. These consisted of poems by the Rt Revd Adam Atkinson, Bishop of Bradwell, and paintings by Revd Ali Mulroy, associate minister at St Peter’s Bethnal Green, along with reflections written by Bishop Joanne.
The meditations explored answers to Jesus’s question to his disciples, “Who do you say I am?” acknowledging that the identity and personhood of Jesus are at the heart of who we are as disciples. The poems and reflections presented the person of Jesus through different actions and interactions, revealing conflicting perspectives, truths, and identities. Imagining Jesus on the streets of East London, they explored themes which are especially relevant to London and its life, but which could apply to any urban landscape.
A rich and diverse tapestry of traditional hymns, spirituals, instrumental music, and contemporary worship songs, offered by choir, harp, strings and ensemble, illuminated the tenderness of the Bible readings from John’s gospel. Music ranging from Bach’s Passion Chorale to Max Richter’s On the Nature of Daylight, along with original compositions by Shoreditch composer Deborah Pritchard, interspersed with silence and prayers, created a reflective and meditative atmosphere.
The poems, prayers, reflections, and images will be part of a book, Who do you say I am? Lent and Easter Reflections for a Holy City by Joanne Woolway Grenfell and Adam Atkinson, with illustrations by Ali Mulroy (Canterbury Press, July 2024).
