Norfolk: There be Vikings! (The miraculous seventeenth post)

Norfolk get's a lot of bad press sometimes. People think it is a little behind the times. I suppose in a way it is a bit behind the rest of Britain, but that is what makes it special. It is still unsullied by what much of the modern world thinks to be commodities; in reality we would be better without such "commodities". The landscape is beautiful, but not in a soft, gentle, and inviting fashion. No, instead it is beautiful in a rugged, visceral, and quite primal way. The openness and vastness of the landscape blows you away by day, and in the evening the expanses can be unsettling and quite ominous. It is no surprise that there is no shortage of local ghost stories. It is also no wonder that so many writers, artists, and poets travel to Norfolk to gain inspiration. As Norfolk is quite exposed to Scandinavia many of the Viking landings were made on the beaches of North Norfolk. It doesn't take a stretch of the imagination to picture Vikings landing on those vast stretches of unclaimed shore under the ominous shadow of Norfolk dusk.
I spent from last week Friday to this week Tuesday in North Norfolk with my good friend and old Literature, Psychology, and Drama teacher Stephen Graham. I had the opportunity to meet the people he worked with in the village inn and to sample the local ale. Much of the visit consisted of very good in depth conversation about life, the universe, and everything. One of my favourite things about visiting Stephen is the conversation. On the Sunday we went to the morning service at the West Runton Anglican church. It was a beautiful service. It was a very high Anglican service. I was reminded of the way that God is in the ritual and the liturgy in the same way that he is there when we worship with a guitar and microphones. We often forget that just because a service is ordered doesn't mean that God's spirit is not present and worship is not happening. It is almost naive, and really rather arrogant to think that God prefers one type of church service. I also attended the evening service at the Anglican church in Cromer. While also an Anglican church, the service was completely different. This is what would be described as low Anglican. There was very little formal liturgy, and the worship was led by a band that included guitar and drums. There were microphones for the singers, and a PA system at the back. Rather than hymn books the words were projected onto a screen. It was exciting to see the juxtaposition of contemporary worship and an old (and huge) stone church.  Also, it was so clear that God was also present in the second service as well. So often we as the church allow our differences to create division and weaken the church. However, our differences, even huge differences within a single denomination, can lead to a dynamic church within which the Spirit is free to work in people's hearts in ways which are right for them as individuals and as a community.
Church was a highlight of the trip. Monday night there was a much more eerie occurrence.  We were in Cromer having dropped Stephen's friends off at their hotel, having discussed some of the local ghost stories, and we saw a dark figure wearing a black cape, mask and top hat. It was one of those moments where we both had to ask whether we had both really seen what we had seen. I will leave you with the worrying suggestion that due to the fact that it was Norfolk, the masked figure was not in fancy dress.