I don't watch Songs of Praise very often, the current incarnation, where (often interesting) interviews are interspersed with ancient recordings of songs presumably chosen by the production team because they kind of vaguely fit, never quite satisifies.  I don't blame the production people, who I am sure so their best with a teeny tiny budget and only so many songs from which to choose.

Last night's broadcast centred on the Migrants' camp at Calais managed, overall, to make this less than ideal format serve a valuable purpose.  I'm still not entirely sure a sung Shakespeare sonnet had any relevance, and the interview with Matt Redman felt superfluous, I'd rather have heard another voice from Calais. Even so, the themes/messages of the songs, "Abide with me" (I'd have preferred the trad version, but hey) and "There's a widenss in God's mercy" (even to the "wrong" tune), were good ones and pertinent.

I found the interviews with migrants, and with those who were trying to come alongside them, moving and purposeful.  Sally Magnuson's interview style was gracious and gentle.

So it made me cross to read the latest from the Daily Fail who demonstrated in their cheap jibes their utter ignorance of Orthodox worship.  Did they really think that a lengthy liturgy sung in Greek would 'work' for those Brits who depend on Songs of Praise for their weekly 'God slot'?  Did they not know that Orthodox christians don't sing Wesley or Redman or any other western hymnody?

Songs of Praise isn't aimed at me or people like me who can go to church and sing the hymns we choose in the style we prefer.  It serves a group of people who have to take what is offered, who enjoy a good sing of something old or something new, and listen to whatever pops up in between.  So yesterday, thousands, maybe millions, of people heard the voices of migrants at Calais, heard christians of east and west, high and low, liberal and conservative persuasions speak important words - often in their second or third languages.

BBC ethics and religion (or whatever it is called this week) did something really important and a bit prophetic... they showed the viewers an important truth... these are real people, just like us, made in the image and likeness of God.

Songs of Praise not perfect by any means, but then what is?  Worth my licence fee?  Too darned right it was!  More like this please :-)


PS a decent piece of reporting from the "Grauniad" here