Tonight we had our planning meeting for the 'Churches Nearly Together' carol outreach event; in the words of Meatloaf 'two out of three ain't bad.'  Meths & Baps - sounds like an interesting form of Communion, don't you think?

Anyway, as sparklers sparkled and bangers banged we played that joyous game of 'which Christmas carols can we actually stand to sing' for the upcoming full house event.  Not everything we chose was to my delight, but my all time favourite was chosen by someone else and we have a very different "feel" from last year, which I think is good. 

We will be introducing a 'new' carol which is written by Candlecentre juxta Dibley's very own hymnwriter Martin Leckebusch, born in the excellent year of 1962, not that I'm biased, but SOF tells me this fact...

It's a great hymn, sung to 'Epiphany Hymn' (Brightest and Best), and I think our oldies will probably enjoy it, alongside faithful friends like 'Hark! the herald angels' (Wesley, for anyone whose checking I've got one in) and 'As with gladness' (to annoy me because I can't work out how to inclusivise it!).  Anyway, enjoy this well written work...

Come, see the Lord in His breathtaking splendour:

Gaze at His majesty - bow and adore!

Enter His presence with wonder and worship -

He is the King and enthroned evermore.

 

He is the Word who was sent by the Father,

Born as a baby, a child of our race:

God here among us, revealed as a servant,

Walking the pathway of truth and of grace.

 

He is the Lamb who was slain to redeem us -

There at the cross His appearance was marred;

Though He emerged from the grave as the victor,

Still from the nails and the spear He is scarred.

 

He is the Lord who ascended in triumph -

Ever the sound of His praises shall ring!

Hail Him the First and the Last, the Almighty:

Jesus, our Prophet, our Priest and our King.

 

Come, see the Lord in His breathtaking splendour:

Gaze at His majesty - bow and adore!

Come and acknowledge Him Saviour and Sovereign:

Jesus our King is enthroned evermore.

 

Martin Leckebusch (c) Kevin Mayhew

It isn't often a book moves me to superlatives - but this is certainly one of the best things I've read recently, or in a long time for that matter.  It is " a small story, about: a girl, an accordianist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fistfighter and quite a lot of thievery."

Narrated by Death, it is unsentimentally poignant, keenly observed and tantalsingly skillful in its langauge.  Strange, yet mesmerising, metaphors; words, and their power, which I think is at least part of a possible subtext, shine through this story.  For me, anyway, part of the wonder was the elegant form of the langauge, the richness of description and the gentleness of the narration by Death.

Indeed, Death comes out of this story as a vulnerable, gentle being, tasked with an endless unrelenting task of gathering human souls.  If another subtext is to challenge our attitude to Death (or death) I think it's done incredibly.  I've no idea if the author was familiar with the Franciscan inspired hymn 'All creatures of our God and King" but the character echoed these old words...

And now, most kind and gentle death,

Waiting to hush our fading breath,

Now praise him, alleluia!

And leading home the child of God

Along the way our Lord has trod...

(This version: BPW 28)

Defintely well worth reading - almost 'un-put-down-able' and despite being almost 600 pages is actually very easy and quick to read.  Don't skim it though - the richness demands proper reading.  You may need a few hankies for this one, and even if not, a few pauses to draw breath will be wise.

I'd like to say'enjoy', but somehow 'experience' seems better...

...sing Brian Wren's 'Great God, your love has called us here' to the tune 'Sagina' (And can it be) as the church organist at a church in the sticks had us do tonight.  Yes, the metre is the same but it just does not work.  Trust me, it doesn't.

... sing 'I will enter his gates with thanksgiving in my heart' whilst looking for any evidence of gladness in the congregation... unless you want to sing one of the alternatives I recall from the 80's, either "he has made me sad" or "he has made me glad, what a job he had."  I wouldn't mind but they picked it!  (Actually I did manage to get a couple of them to smile, maybe they were thinking likewise?)

... follow directions which include 'go down the hill and along a few country lanes' in an area where the land lies low and is surrounded by steams and brooks, to say nothing of foot deep ford, on a night when it is cold and there is patchy fog.  Boy was I glad to see the M69!

(But at least it made you laugh)

... why, if honey cannot spoil there is a best before date on the jar?

And why, after all these years, shoe manufacturers haven't worked out a better design for their boxes so that they are easier to wrap in jolly Christmas paper and fill with gifts to send to Blytheswood/Operation Christmas Child or whoever?  Rather than toys concealed in the insole of the shoe or such like, perhaps they could pre-print the boxes with robins or holly?!  I know you don't have to wrapthe boxes - but have you ever seen one that wasn't?  If anyone from Clark's or the like is reading... ;-)

Kez posts helpfully on the possible Baptist Apology for our part in the slave trade - intuitively a 'no brainer' she realsies it is never that simple. 

In a totally different direction, on Friday I was helping out at the kids' club.  Without going into whys and wherefores (I have clear views on these!) the behaviour of the children was so bad that one of the regular leaders walked out - as well I was there really.  The children were asked to consider their actions and to apologise.  The words tripped easily from their tongues but never contacted their hearts or minds; within minutes they were as rude and disobedient as before.

Saying sorry is easy.  Being sorry is not.

Being sorry means being different.  It means endeavouring to put right what can be put right, to learn what needs to be learned and to change what needs to be changed.

It is looking feasible - though it's a threat I've heard so often I no longer take that much notice - that the kids' club will close and re-open with a new group of children.  If that's so, I hope that the regular leaders will take time to evalaute what they need to do differently so that this situation doens't simply recur in a year or so.  I also hope that, if it happens, the children will begin to realise that 'sorry' is as 'sorry' does and that actions do have consequences.

On slavery, past and present, it isn't so easy to comment, since I don't know all the arguments being considered.  Intuitively it is a no brainer - but the outworking of repentance is far from trivial.  It will be interesting to see what actually happnes when the calendar rolls on into 2008 and a new topic fills our headlines...