Good news from the Church of England here

Another first woman in the unenviable position of being historical, of being watched, of being lauded, or being insulted, of being called...

May God bless you, Libby,

With true friends to share the joys and sorrows,

With indefatigable courage and the infinite capacity for diasspointment

With moments of unbridalled laughter and fathomless love

With compassion and grace, confidence and humility

And with a real sense of fulfilment as, through you, God blesses others

And, in the words of one Afrcian Archbishop - Yippee!

This link was sent to me by a friend - after I had appeared at church last Sunday wearing my Christmas sweatshirt:

Thankfully the Baptist Union of Lilliput has no such canons!  In any case, surely a grey jumper is suitably penitential for Advent (no violet available!).  Just wait for the Christmas Day one, that's all I'm saying :-)

BPW 397 - Thou art the everlasting Word, by Josiah Conder, early to mid nineteenth century, and a hymn I don't think I've ever looked at before. 

I don't have any idea if anyone is actually following this hymnic (is there such a word?) Advent Calendar, but I am enjoying discovering the hymn/carol for each new day; many well known and loved, some less known and some new.  This one is new to me, and so different, that I think I like it!

Thou art the everlasting Word,
the Father's only Son;
God, manifestly seen and heard,
and heaven's belovèd one.
    Worthy, O Lamb of God, art thou
    that every knee to thee should bow.

In thee, most perfectly expressed,
the Father's glories shine;
of the full deity possessed,
eternally divine:
    Chorus.

True image of the infinite,
whose essence is concealed;
brightness of uncreated light;
the heart of God revealed:
    Chorus.

But the high mysteries of thy name
an angel's grasp transcend:
the Father only-glorious claim-
the Son can comprehend:
    Chorus.

Yet, loving thee, on whom his love
ineffably doth rest,
thy glorious worshippers above,
as one with thee, are blest:
    Chorus.

Throughout the universe of bliss
the centre thou, and sun;
the eternal theme of praise is this,   
to heaven's belovèd one:
    Chorus.

Josiah Conder (1789-1855)
Public Domain

HymnQuest has a whale of a time identifying scriptural links for this hymn - whether Conder intended them is another matter!  Clearly there are Johannine echoes - the Word made flesh - and a sense of awe and wonder that too often seems to be missing in later hymnody.

The mystery exressed in Rosetti's "heaven cannot hold him, not earth sustain" is also seen here, in less gooey terms.  Angels cannot comprehend it any more than earhtly creatures - it is mystery, mysterion.  We don't need to comprehend, don't need to make sense of it, it just is... maybe that's a helpful reminder as we enter the final gallop to Christmas...?  Less logic, more logos?  Less analysis, more angels?  Less cerebral, more celestial? Less adult, more child?  Less angst, more awe?  Something like that anyway!

I can't find a video of this being sung, but if you search for the tune "Palmyra" there are assorted tinny electronic versions online!!  Does not do justice to what is actually a lovely hymn.