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A Skinny Fairtrade Latte in the Food Court of Life - Page 487

  • 'Haphazard by Starlight' - Day 2

    November Sonnet

    by Elizabeth Jennings

     

    Spirit of place.  Spirit of time. Re-form

    The rugged oaks and chestnuts.  Now they stand

    Naked and pallid giants out of storm

    And out of sorts.  It is the Autumn's end

     

    And this Winter brought in by All Saints

    Fast followed by All Souls to keep us in

    Touch with chill and death.  Each re-acquaints

    Us with the year's end. Yet we now begin

     

    A life of realism, watching out

    For a red sunset, grateful for a dawn

    Of rich light now.  Tall shadows step and and strut

     

    Facing the big wind daily coming on

    Faster.  This is the season of right doubt

    While that elected child waits to be born.

  • December 1st - Appreciation and Condolence

    This seems as good a place as any to thank the many people, Christian, agnostic and atheist who have expressed support for me and for 'my' people and for our city after the events of Friday evening...

    • To the minister who had posted on my Facebook Timeline even before I had logged on yesterday morning
    • To the members of Dibley Baptist Church for their prayers and email of support to The Gathering Place
    • To the ministers who 'retweeted' or 'shared' my posts from yesterday
    • To the people who said 'I'm thinking of you' or 'I'm praying for you' or 'sending hugs'

     

    This morning we began our service with a simple prayer and lighting of a candle.  The Taize chant 'within our darkest night' formed our 'gathering song' and was sung before and after the words...

     

    A Candle for Clutha

    It was just another Friday night, people out socialising and enjoying live music

    Just another Friday night, a police helicopter scrambled for service

    Just another Friday night in A&E, the fire station, the council offices, the home of the politician

    Just another Friday night when tragedy struck

    When hundreds of people became part of a waking nightmare

    When pain, fear and even death walked the night time streets of our city

     

    And so we light this light to defy the darkness of despair

    To remember those who mourn

    Those who are injured

    Those who are dealing with the aftermath

    Those who will live with the scars

    And ourselves, shaken and saddened

    Praying that the God who is light will bring comfort and hope for all.

  • 'Haphazard by Starlight' - Day 1

    One of the resources I am using for Advent this year is a book called Haphazard by Starlight edited by Janet Morley.  For each day there is a poem and then a reflection on it.  I am not planning to offer any comments, but I thought others might appreciate the poems - all of which are published in other works, so I am not breaching copyright by reproducing them here, so long as I acknowledge authors.

    Here's the first one:

     

    Advent Calendar


    He will come like last leaf's fall.
    One night when the November wind
    has flayed the trees to the bone, and earth
    wakes choking on the mould,
    the soft shroud's folding.


    He will come like frost.
    One morning when the shrinking earth
    opens on mist, to find itself
    arrested in the net
    of alien, sword-set beauty.


    He will come like dark.
    One evening when the bursting red
    December sun draws up the sheet
    and penny-masks its eye to yield
    the star-snowed fields of sky.


    He will come, will come,
    will come like crying in the night,
    like blood, like breaking,
    as the earth writhes to toss him free.
    He will come like child.

     

    © Rowan Williams available online here


     

    'Advent Calendar' - a poem by Dr Rowan Williams

    Monday 12th December 2011

    The poem 'Advent Calendar' by Archbishop Rowan Williams was published in his first poetry collection, 'After Silent Centuries' (Oxford, 1994), and is now available in 'The Poems of Rowan Williams' (Oxford, 2002 and Grand Rapids MI, 2004).


    'Advent Calendar' was set to music by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies as one of the 44 Anthems in the Choirbook for the Queen which was launched at Southwark Cathedral in November 2011.


     

    Advent Calendar


    He will come like last leaf's fall.
    One night when the November wind
    has flayed the trees to the bone, and earth
    wakes choking on the mould,
    the soft shroud's folding.


    He will come like frost.
    One morning when the shrinking earth
    opens on mist, to find itself
    arrested in the net
    of alien, sword-set beauty.


    He will come like dark.
    One evening when the bursting red
    December sun draws up the sheet
    and penny-masks its eye to yield
    the star-snowed fields of sky.


    He will come, will come,
    will come like crying in the night,
    like blood, like breaking,
    as the earth writhes to toss him free.
    He will come like child.

     

    © Rowan Williams

    - See more at: http://rowanwilliams.archbishopofcanterbury.org/articles.php/2280/#sthash.ah7YvwZW.dpuf

    Advent Calendar


    He will come like last leaf's fall.
    One night when the November wind
    has flayed the trees to the bone, and earth
    wakes choking on the mould,
    the soft shroud's folding.


    He will come like frost.
    One morning when the shrinking earth
    opens on mist, to find itself
    arrested in the net
    of alien, sword-set beauty.


    He will come like dark.
    One evening when the bursting red
    December sun draws up the sheet
    and penny-masks its eye to yield
    the star-snowed fields of sky.


    He will come, will come,
    will come like crying in the night,
    like blood, like breaking,
    as the earth writhes to toss him free.
    He will come like child.

     

    © Rowan Williams

    - See more at: http://rowanwilliams.archbishopofcanterbury.org/articles.php/2280/#sthash.ah7YvwZW.dpuf

    Advent Calendar


    He will come like last leaf's fall.
    One night when the November wind
    has flayed the trees to the bone, and earth
    wakes choking on the mould,
    the soft shroud's folding.


    He will come like frost.
    One morning when the shrinking earth
    opens on mist, to find itself
    arrested in the net
    of alien, sword-set beauty.


    He will come like dark.
    One evening when the bursting red
    December sun draws up the sheet
    and penny-masks its eye to yield
    the star-snowed fields of sky.


    He will come, will come,
    will come like crying in the night,
    like blood, like breaking,
    as the earth writhes to toss him free.
    He will come like child.

     

    © Rowan Williams

    - See more at: http://rowanwilliams.archbishopofcanterbury.org/articles.php/2280/#sthash.ah7YvwZW.dpuf

    Advent Calendar


    He will come like last leaf's fall.
    One night when the November wind
    has flayed the trees to the bone, and earth
    wakes choking on the mould,
    the soft shroud's folding.


    He will come like frost.
    One morning when the shrinking earth
    opens on mist, to find itself
    arrested in the net
    of alien, sword-set beauty.


    He will come like dark.
    One evening when the bursting red
    December sun draws up the sheet
    and penny-masks its eye to yield
    the star-snowed fields of sky.


    He will come, will come,
    will come like crying in the night,
    like blood, like breaking,
    as the earth writhes to toss him free.
    He will come like child.

     

    © Rowan Williams

    - See more at: http://rowanwilliams.archbishopofcanterbury.org/articles.php/2280/#sthash.ah7YvwZW.dpuf

    Advent Calendar


    He will come like last leaf's fall.
    One night when the November wind
    has flayed the trees to the bone, and earth
    wakes choking on the mould,
    the soft shroud's folding.


    He will come like frost.
    One morning when the shrinking earth
    opens on mist, to find itself
    arrested in the net
    of alien, sword-set beauty.


    He will come like dark.
    One evening when the bursting red
    December sun draws up the sheet
    and penny-masks its eye to yield
    the star-snowed fields of sky.


    He will come, will come,
    will come like crying in the night,
    like blood, like breaking,
    as the earth writhes to toss him free.
    He will come like child.

     

    © Rowan Williams

    - See more at: http://rowanwilliams.archbishopofcanterbury.org/articles.php/2280/#sthash.ah7YvwZW.dpuf
  • Christmas in a Day...

    So, how do you set about advertising yuor wares for Christmas?  Collection, editing and combining more than a hundred homes videos does not sound like an obvious choice.

    Irrespective of where you might choose to shop, I think that this 48 minute film 'by Sainsburys' is the most wonderful social commentary on British Christmases in the early 21st century.  Who cares if it silently advertises Co-op products or contains the odd naughty word?  With some real feel good moments and some laugh aloud funny bits (especially from the 106 year old!) I simply enjoyed watching... hope you might too

     

    NB as it says on You Tube, contains scenes of partial nudity and animal slaughter

  • Weeping with those who Weep

    If I stand in my kitchen and look out of the window, I can watch the various helicopters take off and land.  Often when I am out walking I hear the familiar whir of rotors and look up to see the distinctive yellow or grey shape of one of the helicopters going about its business.

    So waking up to the 7:30 national news summary which was a single story, telling me that the Police Scotland helicopter had crashed into a pub only around 2 miles from home was shocking, frightening and deeply upsetting.  Logging in to Facebook the top notification was to let me know a minister friend in the Midlands had posted a messgae of support and prayer on my timeline - tears welled in my eyes.

    Stockwell Street is a vibrant part of the dynamic city centre that is Glasgow, and on a Friday night it would have been hoaching with happy people enjoying themselves.  Glasgow Royal is where I had my surgery, and the burns unit is underneath the wards where I was - it's fair to say the plastics wards will be full of people bumped to make room for critically injured people coming in.  It is also likely that WIG, GGH and SGH, hospitals I know to an extent, will be treating some of the injured people.

    I don't have any wise words right now, just an ache for those affected, concern lest any of 'my' people are directly or indirectly involved, and trust in a God who shares the pain...

     

    On Police Scotland

    On Scottish Fire and Rescue Service

    On Scottish Ambulance Service

    On NHS GGC especially GRI

    On Glasgow City Council

    On those directly involved

    On their families and friends

    Lord have mercy

     

    Last night I was doing the epilogue for the group who meet for company and support at the Gathering Place.  I used the gospel for Christ the King (year C) and centred on the 'bad' thief who just asked Jesus not to forget him, and was instead promised paradise...

     

    Jesus, remember everyone affected by this tragedy

    Wipe away tears

    Embrace with love

    Where possible fulfil hope

    Where not fulfil your promise, which is, afterall the ultimate hope