BPW 148 is a simple Taize chant:

Wait for the LORD

[Whose] day is near

Wait for the LORD

Be strong, take heart.

I have sung this in many times and places.

Like many Taize chants it carries me back to the time I was part of a team staffing a 24/7 Prayer room in Leicestershire.  In the wee small hours, well out of my comfort zone being awake at that time, and alone in a large building with only a CD player for company, this chant, and others, somehow enfolded me in God's presence... the Lord's day is near, the Lord's presence is here.

Today has been that typical ministerial mixture... the precious and beautiful sharing of home communion with a centenarian and two other folk; the writing of a "minister's letter" for the January church magazine; the printing of leaflets for Thursday's lunchtime reflection; the making of hard copies of readings for the carol service to give to those not online...

And of course the saying of farewell to Holly.

In all of this, the LORD is near; in all of this the LORD is here

So I find strength

And I am heartened

Advent busyness,

Everyday business,

Grey-skied, wind-lashed, rain-soaked heaviness

Waiting for the LORD

Only to discover

That all the time the LORD is already here...

At 9:25 this morning, with her slave and vet-of-choice in attendance, Holly Bethany Cat, manse moggy, internet star (at least in social media land), cuddly companion and faithful feline slipped away peacefully.  Perhaps it is timely that the present Pope has asserted that animals go to heaven, because it is definitely comforting to think that she is now safely with her creator.

Born sometime in 2002, and originally known as Molly, this long-haired black and white cat stole the hearts of all who had the privilege to know her - and, as one of my friends expressed it yesterday, had me wrapped around her little paw.

Her first family decided that three human children and a cat was one too many, so Molly was sent to the Cat's Protection League.  She landed on her paws when a Roman Catholic former nun fell in love with her at first sight, and took her to a home where she was spoiled beyond belief, renamed Holly, and built up a huge fan-base.  Sadly, Holly's new human fell ill and died of cancer, leaving her with the shadow of the cat's home once again looming large. (It's a very lovely cat's home, but it's still a cat's home).

So I offered to take her for a trial, and of course she worked her magic, melting my heart and eventually wheedling her way into my bedroom where she would curl up at my feet and sleep soundly until about 4 a.m. when she'd walk up my legs, settle on my chest and ask for breakfast!

Three and a half years of happy memories, countless photos, more cat toys than Pets R Us, more chicken, ham and bits of fish (along with titbits of pastry and cheese) than a supermarket... Having Holly to share my life has been a real gift of grace - she has comforted me when I was sad, nuzzled me when I was anxious, listened when I needed a confidant beyond the human, and entertained me with her crazy antics.

I will miss her running to greet me, tail up, purr activated.  I will miss the hilarity of her feet skittering on the wooden floor as she ran so fast and got nowhere.  I will even miss the clawing of the rug (and carpet) when she was annoyed.

Rest in peace, faithful, feline friend... and if that there Pope is correct, purr in glory.

On Saturday I popped into my local branch of Sainsbury's (other supermarkets are availalble!) to purchase some alcohol-free Christmas puddings for our church Christmas Day community lunch, only to discover that they were not stocking them this year.  The person I spoke to could not have been more helpful, researching where they might be found (two "out of town" branches) and then offering to pick some up and bring them to my local store.

Today the phone rang to let me know they were in, so I trotted down to collect them - and posed them for this rather bad photo ('paint' does it's bnest but 'photoshop' it isn't).

I have a policy of not naming and shaming, but I am very happy to name and fame Mr Chris Murphy and the staff at Sainsbury's Partick for going the extra mile (or ten) for one customer.

Is it the tunes or the words or both that create the initial sense of "ooh, I like that" about a hymn, carol or song? 

The tune Winchester New, used both for "On Jordan's Bank the Baptist's cry" (BPW 147) and "Ride on, Ride on, in Majesty" has, for me, a strangely haunting quality, which combined with the juxtapostion of Advent and Passiontide combines beuaty with pathos.

The reminder that "the Lord is nigh" carries a very differentt sense this side of Calvary than it would have when John cried out in the wilderness regions.  God is at hand... the Lord is near... God's time is approaching... a variety of ways of reading/hearing this.

The hymn is overall pretty positive - we are called to make ourselves ready, but there is no big stick to beat us.  The echoes of Isaiah 40 are there in verse 3, along with hints of Isaiah 9.

Essentially, this is a hopeful hymn - the Lord is nigh, which is Good News!

On Jordan's bank the Baptist's cry
Announces that the Lord is nigh;
Awake and hearken, for he brings
Glad tidings from the King of kings!

Then cleansed be every life from sin;
Make straight the way for God within,
And let us all our hearts prepare
For Christ to come and enter there.

For thou art our salvation, Lord,
Our refuge, and our great reward;
Without thy grace we waste away
Like flowers that wither and decay.

To heal the sick stretch out your hand,
And bid the fallen sinner stand;
Shine forth, and let your light restore
Earth's own true loveliness once more.

All praise to you, eternal Son,
Whose advent has our freedom won,
Whom, with the Father, we adore,
And Holy Spirit, for evermore.

Jordanis oras praevia Charles Coffin (1676-1749) translated John Chandler (1806-1876)

Today's sermon was centred on Isaiah 40:1 - 11 (Lectionary OT reading), and as a way in we did a little bit of Biblical studies type stuff noting the generally accepted hypothesis that there at least two and probably three books combined end-to-end to make up what we know as Isaiah.

Recognising that Deutero-Isaiah and Trito-Isaiah are exilic/post-exilic whereas as Proto-Isaiah was penned around 200 years earlier, and pre-exilic, was key to our approach.

We tried to imagine ourselves into a place of 'exile' - a literal or metaphorical place or state of being that felt dark, hopeless, unending... and then to imagine that someone handed us a book to read.  Great, we might think, sacrcastically, just what I need - how to pray harder, or sin less, or believe better, or, or... but then we opened it up and there it was, page 1, line 1

Comfort my people

The role of the prophet(ess) here is denounce the sorrow, sadness, regret, loss, grief, exile as the "wrong thing" sorrow, sadness, regret, loss, grief, exile, etc. and instead to speak a word of hope... God wants to embrace these broken-hearted people...

Ending with the image of the shepherd, the rough semi-outcast peasant worker, scooping up the frightened lost lamb and carrying it safely home in his arms, this is a passage of surprising tenderness and hope.

Shout it from the roof tops: "Comfort" this is Good News indeed