December 2021 – Page 3 – The Raynville Rambler

Sing we of the Kingdom

Powerstock St Mary (Dorset)
© Derek Voller and licensed for reuse under Creative Commons Licence

Today’s song from Sing Praise is ‘Sing we of the Kingdom’ by Peter Nardone. It’s similar to ‘Advent candles tell their story’ that we had on 5 December, in that there is one verse for each week of Advent. The themes are to an alternative sequence: instead of five themes of Kingdom-Prophets-John-Mary-Jesus, we have Kingdom-John-Mary-Jesus, with nothing specific to the Prophets and no fifth verse for Christmas Day. So all the New Testament characters are brought forward a week, as it were. Again, you could sing verse 1 each week with the appropriate specific verse added for each week.

After saying something about the specific characters (the Baptist’s mission, Mary’s lowliness and Jesus’ life and love), the last lines of each verse are the same: ‘Enable me truly to live my life for God’. I suppose this reminds us that Advent is a period of the year, like Lent, when reflection on the great themes of faith should leave us changed people, or at least with a renewed zeal as we celebrate the birth (or at Easter, Resurrection) of Jesus.

The tune, Powerstock, is by the same composer as the words and named after a village in Dorset (hence the title photo). I found it difficult to sing, with four sharps and some odd intervals. But the metre is unusual too, 11.11.6.6, and I couldn’t find another tune to match it in any of the hymn books on my shelf. Given the choice between these two hymns, I would use ‘Advent candles’.

Praise the One

Today’s hymn from Sing Praise is ‘Praise the One who breaks the darkness’ by Rusty Edwards.

The hymn is all about Jesus, and is from the ‘General’ section of the book rather than ‘Advent’. I put it into this season because the opening lines, at least, seem appropriate: ‘Praise the One who breaks the darkness with a liberating light. Praise the One who frees the prisoners, turning blindness into sight’. The rest of the first verse recounts some of Jesus’ other miracles, all of which John the Baptist took as a sign that Jesus was indeed ‘the One who is to come’.

The word ‘One’, always capitalised, is what binds this hymn together. The second verse celebrates his powerful words (whether blessing children or driving out demons) and the well of living water that he promised in our hearts. The third verse is more theological (or even soteriological, if I have the right word) as it praises the One who is love incarnate, died and rose to save us by grace, and redeems us in glory. The final line is perhaps the only weakness in the words with a repetition: ‘Praise the One who makes us one’. The last word is to rhyme with ‘done’, so perhaps ‘Praise the Lord who makes us one’ would be better, or ‘Praise the One who is God’s Son’ which would keep the rhyme.

The hymn is copyrighted by an American publisher, and the name Rusty suggests an American writer. The tune ‘Nettleton’, also of American origin, is dated 1813, but the tune is much less staid than English hymn tunes of that era and together with the words makes a great song of praise. The tune was familiar as it is also used for the Iona song ‘We rejoice to be God’s chosen’.

O child of promise, come

Today’s hymn from Sing Praise is ‘O child of promise, come’ by James Quinn. It continues the Advent theme of calling on Christ to come and restore all things. The titles for Christ seem to be taken mainly if not entirely from the book of Isaiah that is widely used in Advent: Emmanuel, Prince of Peace, the Lord’s Servant, light to the gentiles, anointed one, Messiah; as are other phrases such as ‘Good tidings to the poor announce, proclaim God’s year of grace’ (v.3)

Two tunes are offered, neither of which was familiar, but both quite singable and broadly in the same style, though one is from the 18^th century and one from the 19^th. John chose to use the latter (‘Venice’).

Singaravelan

This is a supplemental post to my sermon of 5th December. It is converted from a HTML web page, one of several that I created after our trip to India with Tearfund in 2006.

Tearfund’s principal Indian partner is the Evangelical Fellowship of India Commission on Relief (EFICOR)

We had been told to look forward to this event all week: instead of just a group of us from the UK visiting yet another village, we would be part of a much larger gathering to celebrate the official handover of the 104 houses that EFICOR had built in two villages after the tsunami. These had been among the worst hit villages in the area. The new houses have been built 1km from the sea in a wooded area. In this instance, EFICOR were not involved with replacing fishing boats – another NGO did that.

Revd Dino Touthang (right), Director of EFICOR

Everyone then made their way to where a podium had been set up in fromnt of rows of chairs with an awning to keep the heat off. Most of the speakers at the ceremony spoke in Tamil or Malayalam, but Dino Touthang, the Executive Director of EFICOR, spoke in English. He spoke to the community of the need for them to take responsibility for the maintenance of their new houses, and that it was also their duty to build families in joy and peace and free from violence (we had been told in many places that domestic violence is a major problem in Tamil society). He spoke of the benefits of many NGOs working together.

After the speeches, representatives of the supporting agencies were presented with awards, and Phil Bamber accepted one on behalf of Tearfund. Our other leader, Katy Hands, was given the opportunity to cut a ribbon to declare a house open – the householder’s name was Caspar. One of the householders was presented with a large mock key to symbolise the handing over of the properties to the people.

Advent candles

Today’s hymn from Sing Praise is ‘Advent candles tell their story’ by Mark Earey. It has five verses but each of them is specific to one of the Sundays of Advent, the fifth being for Christmas Day. It would appear to be the intention either that just one verse is sung each week, or another verse added each week, rather than as a regular all-through hymn. In fact it’s neither: I found the answer in the liturgical responses Mark wrote to go with the song – the idea is to sing verse 1 on week 1, then 1+2, 1+3, 1+4 and just verse 5 at Christmas.

The first week of the season is traditionally focussed on the Patriarchs, but the first verse here is expressed in more general terms of praying for the Lord’s coming. The second is about the Prophets, the third John the Baptist, and the fourth Mary, according to tradition. There’s not much in the words that grabbed my attention, other than that the verse for Mary has a possibly unexpected reference to Easter: ‘Who could guess the final story? Cross and glory; Easter Day!’

As an aside, we have been unable to find an Advent candle, of the sort that counts the days, in the shops this year. The fairtrade company Traidcraft also used to do them, but seem to have stopped. I did find that John Lewis were selling them online, but I’m always reluctant to order online for one cheap item to be delivered. In the end we took a standard purple dinner candle and with a ruler and knife simply marked it into 28 sections. But it’s only burning a few minutes each day, after saying grace at the start of the evening meal.

Levelling up the household

Sermon for St Peter’s, Bramley, Leeds, 5 December 2021 (Advent 2)

Readings: Ruth chapter 2; Luke 3:1-6

Come with me to an event I attended in India several years ago. The Christian charity EFICOR had built a whole new village, Singaravelan, to replace one that had been swept away in the tsunami of Boxing Day 2004. On this day, the new houses were being officially handed over. There were garlands and decorations everywhere, a smartly dressed youth band to lead the procession, and a stage set up for speeches. Dignitaries included the District Collector, senior clergy, Directors of the charity and village leaders. Some spoke in Malayalam but the Director spoke in English. He told the community to cherish and maintain their new houses, to build families in joy and peace. Then came the punchline. “I want this to be a village where husbands no longer beat their wives …(dramatic pause) … and where wives no longer beat their husbands”.

Everyone laughed, but it was a serious point to make. Would he have spoken of people beating their partners if that had not been going on before? He wanted this new village to be a place where families would make a new start, free from violence. And that’s the theme of our service today, as part of the annual worldwide campaign against gender-based violence.

In our reading from the book of Ruth, she is working in the fields, not as a paid farmworker, but as Jewish law allowed, a poor person picking up any bits of grain that the reapers had missed. Boaz, the farmer, was a relative of her mother-in-law, and knew he had to protect her from harm as part of the family. So he says, “I have ordered the young men not to bother you.” Again, at the end of the day, Naomi says, “It is better that you go out with Boaz’s young women, otherwise you might be bothered in another field”. ‘Bothered’ is translated in some Bible versions as ‘molested’. Just as in India, would they have mentioned this unless it was common for the men in the fields to molest the women?

Israel around 1000 B.C. India in 2006. These things happened long ago, or in poor communities far away. But they don’t happen here and now, do they. Do they? Here’s the story of one married woman from the charity Refuge. They call her Isobel.

When I met my ex-husband, I had my own business, my own flat, supportive friends and family. I was confident and self-assured and independent. Domestic violence was not something I ever thought would happen to me.

He was controlling from the beginning. I was constantly walking on eggshells. I was undermined and humiliated in a million different ways. But whenever I tried to leave, he would reel me back in, telling me that he would change and that he wanted us to be a family. One day a normal conversation suddenly turned into a frenzied attack. He punched me to the ground, kicked me in the back, and then threw me across the room – all in front of our two children. I called the police, and eventually they put me in touch with Refuge.

One of Refuge’s outreach workers, Anna, began supporting me. We talked about everything I had been through and she helped me to understand that Ben’s behaviour was a deliberate pattern of control. It was not my fault.

Now things are so much better. It isn’t easy to break away from a violent partner; I don’t think I could have done it without Refuge’s support. Refuge saved my life.

Charities like Refuge tell us that one in three women in Britain today will experience violence or controlling behaviour at some time in their lives. The chances are, several of you here today will have suffered in this way. The offender might be a boy at school, a stranger in a dark street or a work colleague. But more often it happens at home: a father, brother, boyfriend or husband. And of course as the Indian charity director’s speech reminds us, it can be the other way round – sometimes it is a woman who is violent to her partner. Ruth was lucky, she was the boss’s young relative and he made sure she was left alone. But most of us aren’t so lucky.

In this Advent season, the theme of our readings and prayers is around asking Jesus to come and put problems right, to take back control of this broken world. That’s what John the Baptist meant when he prophesied that Jesus was about to appear, quoting an older prophesy of valleys and mountains being levelled up. We might understand that applied to personal relationships as saying that those who have a natural advantage, those who are physically stronger or have the power in a relationship, will be brought down, and those who are weaker or feel themselves trapped in the bottom of a valley will be lifted up and set on their feet. The crooked – the crooks of this world – will be brought to justice and helped to ‘go straight’ as we say.

Also in the reading from Ruth, Boaz says this to Ruth: “May you have a full reward from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge”. That image of God as a bird, perhaps a mother hen, protecting her chicks under her wing, is one that Jesus used as well. God is on the side of the victim. He hears their cries, offers protection from harm, lifts up the downfallen and deals with the offender.

But as we are often reminded, Christ has no hands but ours. Boaz in the Bible story is called Ruth’s ‘Redeemer’, the same title we give to Christ, and it carries the sense of offering protection. As Christ’s body on earth, it is we who are given the task of carrying out that ministry of redemption in practice. And as Jesus also said, much is expected of those to whom much has been given. The powerful person, the head of the household, has a particular responsibility to protect those in their care from harm. The challenge for us, particularly us men, is to be the protector of the women in our lives, not to dominate them.

But those who have been harmed do need support as well. In our next hymn we will ask God to provide “Refuge from cruel wars, havens from fear, cities for sanctuary, freedoms to share”. It is often Christians who volunteer to offer counselling, work for the police or probation service, run refuges for women fleeing violence, or just keep an eye out for neighbours. In our prayers today you may wish to name someone silently to God and ask him to show you how you can help in setting them free.

A last word: we do of course have safeguarding policies in the church, and if you see or hear anything that concerns you, please have a word with the Vicar or safeguarding officer. And if you yourself are that person in the bottom of the valley, feeling that there is no way out, or if anything else you have heard today disturbs you, again, have a word in confidence with one of them. God’s protecting wing is here, our Redeemer is among us.

Come, light of the world

Picture from Salvation Army Canada. Artist unknown.

Today’s hymn from Sing Praise is ‘Come, Light of the World’ by Paul Inwood. It was new to me, and not easy to sing from sight unaccompanied, so I needed to hear John playing and singing it to pick up the tune properly.

The five verses each begin with that invocation ‘Come’, which places it firmly within the spirit of Advent. The five ways in which Christ is addressed are ‘Light of the world’, ‘Strength of our days’, ‘Joy for the world’, ‘Hope of the world’ and ‘Spirit of God’ (the last not being strictly addressed to Christ, except in so far as the Spirit ‘proceeds from the Father and the Son’ – but let’s not reopen that old argument!)

Likewise, in the course of these five verses we ask him to bless us in various ways: to dispel our darkness and be our light; to fill us with courage to follow him; to bring us together with singing, laughter and warmth in our lives; to heal our sorrow and bring us peace; and for the Spirit to fill us with truth, lighten our lives and inspire all we do.

It is, as John remarked, a very positive hymn, not at all in the penitential style of many Advent hymns, yet consistent with the Advent hope of one who is coming to change things for the better. Perhaps it’s just what we need at the moment, when the world is full of fear, hatred and disaster: not another reminder that we are sinners but a reminder that Christ comes to bring fulness of life.

Come and see the shining hope

Today’s hymn from Sing Praise is ‘Come and see the shining hope that Christ’s apostle saw’ by Christopher Idle. It’s based on some of the scenes in the Book of Revelation, and set to an American tune ‘Marching through Georgia’. We sang it at our church on Advent Sunday to bring a stirring start to the season.

The contrast in the first verse is between ‘confusion on the earth, and in heaven an open door’. Confusion is indeed all around the earth as at the moment, what with uncertainties around the Covid pandemic and climate change, as well as wars and famines in many places – just the sort of thing Jesus said would have to happen before he comes again. The second verse is about the gifts that God gives, Jesus being the greatest of them, by which we can cope with these confusing times. The third verse returns the scene to heaven where the ‘mighty multitudes’ forever sing praise to God.

The last line of each verse is the same, effectively forming a bridge to the chorus: ‘Love has the victory for ever!’ The chorus with its repeated Amens celebrates justice being restored and ‘the kingdoms of the world become the kingdom of the Lord’. The overall message is that whatever the confusion and challenges around us, at the same time there is another kingdom, which Jesus said is among us or within us, where all the world’s problems cease to exist.

The ‘open door’ of the first verse may perhaps be identified with Jesus who called himself ‘the Way, the Truth and the Life’. The way into the heavenly kingdom. But he also warned that the way is narrow and few enter the door. So although Advent is full of hope, it’s also full of challenge. The message of repentance and of waiting in holiness goes hand in hand with the expectation of being among those restored to eternal life when Jesus finally returns.

Now all the world belongs to Christ

Today’s hymn from Sing Praise is ‘Now all the world belongs to Christ our Lord’ by Michael Perry. Thus the title: the first line of the refrain is ‘Fling wide the gates’ which gives a better clue to the content. The phrase is taken presumably from Stainer’s oratorio ‘The Crucifixion’, but is based on ‘lift up your heads, O ye gates’, a verse of Psalm 24 on which the whole hymn is based. It is a paraphrase or adaptation of the psalm, rather than a literal rendering.

The original is a ‘song of ascents’ to be sung as pilgrims climb the hill into Jerusalem and enter the Temple with its massive doors. In Christian use it is associated, as John reminded us this morning, with Holy Week and in particular Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on a donkey. The tune suggested is also associated with Holy Week, through the hymn ‘Lift high the Cross’.

So what’s it doing in the Advent section of the book? It makes sense if you look from the other side of the door, so to speak. In the Psalm and on Palm Sunday we are with a crowd outside the city, outside the Temple (symbolic of heaven), longing to go in. Whereas in Advent we are trapped in this increasingly Godless world and longing for Jesus to fling open the gates from heaven and break into our world in triumphant return.

So, whereas in the Psalm, those who have ‘clean hands and pure hearts’ are counted worthy to stand on the holy hill, i.e. in the Temple, in the hymn such people win the right to worship Christ. The ‘vindication from the God of their salvation’ that the psalmist promises becomes ‘He will declare them free from guilt and shame’. Of course we know that our sins can already be forgiven even in this life, but Christ’s return will be for his true followers a complete vindication in him.

Come now, O Prince of Peace

Today’s song from Sing Praise is ‘Come now, O Prince of Peace’ by Geonyong Lee (a Korean classical composer) and Marion Pope. I read somewhere that Korean music uses the same Pentatonic scale as Scottish folk music, which is why it sounds more familiar than other Asian styles.

The song is from the Advent section of the book. The appeal to ‘come now’ (very much part of Advent) is addressed to the Lord variously as ‘Prince of Peace’, ‘Lord Jesus’, ‘God of love’, ‘God our Saviour’ and ‘Hope of unity’. What we ask him to do when he comes is to ‘Make us one body’, ‘reconcile your people’ and ‘reconcile all nations’. Only the last of these is strictly an Advent hope. Looking at the words as a whole with their reference to ‘one body’ and ‘your people’, it seems to be more suited to Christian Unity week or any other ecumenical gathering, or indeed with its gentle melody would be suitable for a music group to sing during Communion.